An Unseen Side
by laur824
Summary: When Hermione gets a letter from her cousin asking her to come home for a cheerleading competition, the school sees a side to the Gryffindor Princess that they never knew existed. What will they think of this? Eventual Dramione.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: After a VERY long hiatus, I'm back! The last couple of years I have read a lot of Dramione fanfiction, namely stories by cleotheo, if you haven't read any of her stories, check her out, she's amazing. This is the first Harry Potter fanfiction story I've ever written so hopefully you guys like it! Voldemort was defeated in fourth year so there is no war and no corrupted Ministry of Magic. Now onto the story!**

Hermione Granger was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Ginny Weasley and her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Are you coming into Hogsmeade with us, Hermione?" Harry asked as he took a swallow of orange juice. Hermione nodded as she fumbled with the straps on her bag.

"Yes I was planning on it. I-Oh!" Hermione broke off mid-sentence as the morning post arrived. Even after six years at Hogwarts, the owls flying in unison never failed to amaze and awe Hermione, even though the only mail she ever got was from her parents. As she watched, a tawny owl stopped in front of her at the same time Hedwig stopped in front of Harry with a letter from his godfather, Sirius Black. She reached to untie the letter and recognized the slanting writing belonging to her cousin. She gave the owl five bronze Knuts before it flew away with the other owls.

"Who's your letter from, Hermione?" Ron asked as he swallowed a bite of toast, watching Hermione closely.

"It's from my cousin Annabel," Hermione answered as she opened the envelope and pulled the parchment out.

 _Dear Mia,_

 _Hope boarding school is treating you well! I miss seeing you everyday though. Remember all the fun times we had at elementary school? Those sure were the days! I was looking through some of our old pictures the other day and took a long trip down memory lane, but I'm not writing you to talk about that. My cheerleading squad got into the finals! Can you believe it? I fell over when I got the phone call. We're set to compete next weekend during the Easter holidays in Glasgow, but we've run into a slight hiccup. One of the girls got kicked off the team for being nasty to Emily, remember her? It has been building all year long, ever since she made the squad in September, but last night at practice all hell broke loose. Our coach doesn't stand for any sort of bullying or harassment and she told the girl who shall not be named to get out and not come back. Now we're one girl short and we need twelve to compete. I know this is asking a lot and kind of short notice, but could you come to the finals with us next weekend and compete with us? If your teachers will let you come that would be amazing, I know it's getting close to your exams and you probably have tons of studying to do but we're desperate. You were always so good at dance and gymnastics when we were kids. Sorry for rambling, you know how I get when I'm stressed. Please write back as soon as you can. Love you cousin! If I don't see you at Easter, I'll see you in the summer._

 _Xoxo,_

 _Annabel._

Hermione finished reading and looked up at her three friends who were watching her. Ginny tried to grab the letter but Hermione quickly folded it and stowed it in her bag.

"What did your cousin say?" Harry asked. Hermione stood up from the table and glanced at the head table.

"She wants me to come home next weekend to compete in a cheerleading competition. You guys go on to Hogsmeade, I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall," Hermione said as she started to walk towards the Heads table.

"But you're supposed to be staying here with us for Easter!" Ron protested. Hermione quelled him with a look.

"I realize that Ronald, but we wouldn't be doing anything but sitting around the common room for the holidays and I haven't seen Annabel for months. If Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall will allow it, I'm going to go home for the weekend," she said firmly. Then she turned to Harry and Ginny.

"I'll meet you all in the Three Broomsticks, I wanted to go to the book store anyways," she said before walking away, not realizing that she was being watched by a certain Slytherin.

Draco watched Granger walk away from her friends and towards the head table. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment he'd stopped looking down on her, but he knew that he didn't share his father's views on muggleborns and that purebloods were better than everyone else. As he'd moved up the school, Draco had come to realize that blood status didn't matter.

"If you keep staring at her, maybe she'll come over here," his best friend Blaise Zabini teased, breaking Draco out of his reverie. Draco turned to his best friend, who was smirking.

"I wasn't staring at her, I was just . . . watching her closely," Draco argued even as he snuck a peek at Granger, who had reached the head table and was talking animatedly to Dumbledore and McGonagall. The two teachers looked at each other, then stood up and beckoned for her to follow them.

"Draco why don't you just ask her out?" Blaise asked. Draco rolled his eyes at his friend, he knew Blaise was aware of his feelings for the feisty muggleborn witch, Merlin knew he hadn't been all that subtle, but he was hesitant to act on them.

"I've told you before Blaise, I don't think Potter and Weasley would take kindly to me talking to the Gryffindor Princess," Draco retorted as he swung his legs over the bench and stood.

"Well if they aren't open-minded enough to see that there is more to us Slytherins than meets the eye, they're a waste of time anyways. That's what I think," Blaise shrugged as the two boys left the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, Hermione was talking to the two professors in the small chamber off the Great Hall.

"So let me see if I understand this. Your cousin has requested that you go home and compete alongside her in a tournament?" Professor McGonagall checked. Hermione nodded.

"Well, the technical term for it is a competition. Teams come from all over the country to compete and cheerleading is a mixture of dance and gymnastics. My cousin and I did both when we were kids and if I hadn't been invited to come to Hogwarts I would have done cheerleading with her in high school. This is her last year of high school and I know she really wants to win this, finish her high school career with a bang," Hermione explained. While she had been talking Professor Dumbledore had been twiddling his thumbs. He glanced at McGonagall who was studying Hermione.

"Well, I don't have a problem with it. Albus?" McGonagall said, turning to the headmaster. Dumbledore steepled his fingers together and surveyed Hermione over the tops of his half moon glasses.

"I don't have a problem with it, Miss Granger. You're an exceptional student so I'm positive the staff can compile your homework for while you're gone. I do, however, have one condition," Dumbledore said.

"What's that?" Hermione said. She was happy that her professors were letting her go, but at the same time a bit wary of what it was Dumbledore wanted.

"If you will permit it, I would like to cast a spell over you before you leave. It won't show any of your, er, personal moments, but I think this would be a wonderful opportunity to educate your classmates on what goes on in the muggle world. Many of them don't understand what muggle life is like and this could be the key to unifying the four houses," Dumbledore concluded. Hermione nodded thoughtfully. Other than Harry, Dean, and Seamus, she didn't really know anyone who understood the muggle world and she could understand Dumbledore's line of thinking.

"All right, I'll do it. Thank you both for allowing me to go," Hermione said.

"You're very welcome, now, off you go. Enjoy your day in Hogsmeade," Dumbledore said, smiling at Hermione.

After saying goodbye to the two professors, Hermione left the chamber. Instead of heading straight to Hogsmeade however, she made her way up to Gryffindor Tower. Entering the common room, she made her way to one of the tables by the fire and sat down to reply to Annabel.

 _Dear Anna,_

 _I just spoke to the Headmaster and Headmistress and they've given me permission to come next weekend! I'm so excited to see you and Emily, and to take part in the competition, thanks for thinking of me! We don't have anything like that here at boarding school so I'm quite looking forward to it. What day should I come?_

 _Talk to you soon._

 _Love,_

 _Mia._

Hermione finished writing her note and slipped it into an envelope. Quickly writing Annabel's address on the envelope, she left the common room and headed up to the Owlery. As she looked around, the same tawny owl who had delivered Annabel's letter fluttered down and held her leg out. Hermione smiled at the owl and stroked its wings as she finished fastening the letter.

"Thank you, I appreciate this," said Hermione as she carried the owl to the window. The owl gave a soft hoot before spreading her wings and flying out the window. Hermione watched until she was out of sight, then turned and walked out of the Owlery. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was 11:15am already. If she hurried, she could still make it to the book store before meeting the boys and Ginny for lunch at 12.

 **Well, there's the first chapter! I'm looking forward to sharing the rest of this story; the plot bunny for it has been hopping around in my head for quite awhile. Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione hurried along the path to Tomes and Scrolls. As she was leaving the Owlery, it had started to rain, forcing her to hurry back to Gryffindor Tower and retrieve cloak. A quick glance at her watch told her she had half an hour to browse. She looked around as she pulled her hood off. The shop was quiet, with only a few students here and there. Hermione nodded to them as she browsed the shelves.

She pulled a book with an emerald green cover from the shelf and read the title. _Wizarding Britain in the 1940s_ was quite heavy, but Hermione was intrigued by the title. She hadn't covered either of the world wars in school because she would have been at Hogwarts already, but she had discussed it with her parents many times and also with Annabel. Just because she was a witch didn't mean she was going to forget her muggle heritage nor two of the darkest events in human history. Making up her mind she made her way to the counter and placed the book on the counter.

The clerk peered at the book, then up at Hermione. "That's an interesting choice you've made, we don't get a lot of students interested in history," she commented as she rang up Hermione's purchase.

"I'll read just about anything I can get my hands on, I've been that way since I was a little girl," Hermione chuckled as she passed over some money to the clerk.

"Well that's good, books are wonders, and we find ourselves in them. If you're interested we'll be getting a shipment of books in from Germany next week," the clerk said as she put Hermione's book in a bag.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," said Hermione. Waving good-bye, she pulled her hood up over her head before venturing outside. The rain had gotten worse while she had been in the bookstore; Hermione clutched her book against her and bowed her head as she ran to The Three Broomsticks. As she pulled open the door and stepped inside, she crashed right into someone and fell backwards.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she landed on the floor.

"Are you okay, Hermione? And what are you apologizing for, you're the one on the floor," Parvati Patil pointed out as she held out a hand. Hermione grasped it and let Parvati pull her to her feet.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just wanted to get out of the rain and I didn't look where I was going. And I'm late to meet Ron and Hermione and Ginny for lunch," Hermione said as she lowered her hood and unclasped her cloak.

"What time were you supposed to meet them?" Parvati asked. Hermione glanced at her watch and saw it was only five after twelve.

"I was supposed to meet them at twelve. You haven't seen them have you?" she asked. Parvati shook her head.

"No, I've been here for an hour and I haven't seen them. Why don't you come and sit with me and Padma and Lavender and Katie and Cho while you wait for them?" Parvati offered. Hermione nodded.

"I'd like that, thank you." Hermione followed Parvati back to her table where the other girls were sitting.

"Look who I ran into at the bar," Parvati announced as she and Hermione stopped at the table. The other girls smiled at Hermione.

"How are you, Hermione? Been to the bookstore I see," Padma said, eyeing the bag as Hermione took a seat. Hermione nodded as she unfastened her cloak and draped it over the chair.

"Yeah, it's something I just prefer to do on my own. Harry and Ron and Ginny don't really enjoy waiting for me to pick a book because I can take a long time so I finally just told them I would go on my own. And I'm good, thank you," Hermione said. Just then one of the servers approached Hermione and asked what she would like to drink. After asking for a hot tea with lemon and honey, Hermione checked her watch. It was now 12:30 and she couldn't see any hide or hair of her two best friends and closest girlfriend.

"Are we keeping you?" Lavender asked. Hermione shook her head, trying not to feel as though she had been forgotten.

"Not at all, it's just, um, I was supposed to meet the boys and Ginny here at 12 and they're half an hour late," Hermione confessed as the server came back with her drink. After thanking her, Hermione took a sip of the hot tea, feeling its warmth seep through her.

"Oh! Well, since its half past noon, why don't we all order some lunch and maybe they will turn up," Lavender suggested, feeling bad for the girl sitting opposite her. The other girls nodded and all picked up a menu. After ordering their food, Cho, who had been quiet since Hermione joined the group, sidled her chair over to her. Hermione looked over at her and gave her a friendly smile.

"So, Harry and Ginny are still going strong then?" she asked quietly. Hermione nodded. Cho gave a sad smile. "I really blew my chance with him, didn't I? I shouldn't have been so emotional," Cho said, referring to the brief relationship that she and Harry had shared the previous year. Hermione shook her head as she swallowed her tea.

"Cho, you were going through a really rough time. If you weren't so emotional after Cedric's death, I would have been concerned," Hermione said.

"I know, I just . . . well I wish I hadn't acted the way I did. I was actually really jealous of you, I thought that you and Harry seemed really close and I guess I saw you as a rival for his affections," Cho admitted.

"Don't worry, it's in the past. And Harry and I have always had more of a brother-sister relationship. He started liking you in third year, when Gryffindor and Ravenclaw played each other. Um, I hope you won't be offended by this, but maybe it's a good thing the relationship didn't work out. I know you were having a really tough time with Cedric's passing and then your feelings for Harry complicated things. I think you needed some time to grieve and let your heart heal. I hope that didn't sound too harsh," Hermione finished. To her relief, Cho didn't look offended at all, in fact she seemed thoughtful.

"I never looked at it that way. I think you're right though; I shouldn't have jumped into another relationship so soon after Cedric, I should have given myself some time. And maybe Harry and I would have been together and happy now," Cho said as their food arrived. Hermione smiled sympathetically at the other girl and squeezed her hand.

"Don't dwell on the past, you can't move forward if you keep looking back," she said.

"Wow, Hermione, everything you said was really insightful. How did you get so good at talking about feelings and relationships?" asked Katie. Hermione and Cho both started, they had been so engrossed in their conversation they hadn't even noticed that the other girls were paying attention. Hermione blushed, they were all looking at her expectantly.

"Um, well, my Mum has a bunch of psychology books from some of the courses she took in university, and when I became a teenager, she gave them to me to read. She knows that the adolescent years can be rocky and challenging, so she hoped by giving them to me they would be less so. Plus whenever I read something and had questions she would talk about it with me," Hermione explained. She took a bite of her fish. Lavender opened her mouth to ask another question, but Padma stopped her.

"Girls, if we keep asking Hermione questions, all of our food will be cold. Why don't we hold the questions until after lunch?" she suggested. The other girls nodded and dug into their food. As Hermione was finishing the last of the chips on her plate, the door to the pub opened. Twisting around in her seat, Hermione saw that it wasn't her friends. Disappointed, and now a little angry, she turned back to face her companions.

"They're really late, aren't they? It's after 1 now and they said they'd be here at 12," Lavender said. She'd caught the look on Hermione's face and was starting to feel angry on Hermione's behalf.

"Yeah, I don't know if they're just running behind or if they've head back to the castle already," said Hermione. The other girls looked sympathetic.

"Well, I think this calls for a round of chocolate fudge sundaes," Cho said as she raised her hand to signal the server. Hermione smiled gratefully at Cho. She would deal with her friends later; right now she was going to enjoy the afternoon.

While Hermione was sitting in the Three Broomsticks, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were in the Quidditch Shop.

"Do you think Dumbledore and McGonagall gave Hermione permission to go to the cheerleading thing?" Ron asked as they browsed through the store.

"I hope not, she shouldn't get to leave school for the Easter holidays, she's supposed to be staying with us," Ginny said.

"But if her cousin needs her for the competition . . ." Harry started to say.

"So? They can't find another girl for it? Hermione's a witch, not a muggle and she belongs in this world. Also don't you think it's weird that this is the first we've heard about a cousin or any of her family other than her parents?" Ginny argued.

"Gin, come on. Hermione's allowed to have contact with her muggle relatives and may I remind you that she has muggle heritage? Don't you think it's important that she stays in touch with that side of her?" Harry said as he checked his watch.

"Blimey, its 1:00 already, we were supposed to meet Hermione an hour ago!" he said. The three of them bolted out the door and hurried down the road to the pub, hoping Hermione would still be there.

Hermione and the other girls had finished their sundaes and were getting ready to leave. As Hermione clasped her cloak around her, she was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself in the company of the other girls. While they had been eating their sundaes the girls had asked her to explain what psychology was and wondered why they didn't have a class like that at Hogwarts.

"So let me see if I get this right. Psychology is the study of people and what makes them tick? Why they act the way they do?" Padma checked as they exited the pub. Hermione nodded.

"Yes. There are different sides of it, a technical side and a people side. The people side is definitely easier for me to understand than the technical, actually," Hermione admitted.

"Why don't we head back up to the castle and find a quiet place to talk more? I don't know about you guys but I'm enjoying this," said Parvati. The other girls voiced their agreement and they set off towards the castle. Five minutes later Harry, Ron and Ginny skidded to a stop in front of the pub. After taking a moment to catch their breath, they entered the pub and looked around to see if they could see Hermione.

"She's not even here, maybe she stayed at the bookstore and lost track of time?" Ron suggested. The other two shrugged as they surveyed the room.

"We might as well sit down, she'll turn up eventually," said Ginny. The three of them settled at a table and Madame Rosmerta came over to take their drink orders.

"You haven't seen Hermione have you?" Harry asked as the landlady finished writing down their orders.

"You just missed her, she left about ten minutes ago with a group of girls from the school," Rosmerta answered, raising her eyebrows at the trio. She'd overheard part of Hermione's conversation with Parvati and had seen the young girl's disappointed and angry look earlier when she turned around to see if it was her friends at the door.

"She was supposed to wait for us! How rude," Ginny huffed. Rosmerta looked at her.

"She showed up here right at twelve when the three of you were supposed to meet her. I'd say the three of you were the rude ones; knowing you were supposed to meet her at noon and showing up an hour late. If anything you should be happy that she had people to have lunch with," Rosmerta admonished them before walking away.

Harry and Ron looked at each other uncomfortably while Ginny just looked miffed.

"Who does she think she is? Telling us what to do," Ginny grouched as their drinks arrived.

"No, she's right. We should have been here at noon like we said we would. We'll apologize to Hermione when we get back to the common room," Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Well what about the fact that she had lunch with other people, who were they anyways?" Ginny questioned, refusing to let the topic go.

"Ginny, for God's sake, Hermione is sixteen, almost seventeen. She can have lunch with other people if she wants. In fact if she's hanging around with other people in our year, that's a good thing, having more friends is never a bad thing. Especially if you didn't have any like I did before I came to Hogwarts," Harry snapped. While he'd put his past behind him for the most part, he couldn't quite shake the feelings of loneliness and sadness he'd felt when he had been in primary school and no one wanted to be friends with him because they were all too terrified of Dudley's gang.

Fortunately his rant seemed to have taken some of Ginny's bluster out. She stared down at her hands. Their food arrived then and they spent half an hour longer in the pub before settling their tab.

"Is there anywhere else we want to go? Or should we head up to the castle?" Ron asked as they left the pub.

"Let's go back to the castle and find Hermione and apologize," Harry said. The other two nodded and they made their way back to Hogwarts. Once they'd arrived back at the castle and put their purchases in their dorms, they met back downstairs in the common room.

"I don't see her anywhere; maybe she's in the library?" Ron suggested. Neville, who was passing by them, shook his head.

"I figured she'd be with you lot. I haven't seen her all afternoon," he said. Puzzled, Harry and Ron turned to Ginny.

"Any ideas where she might be?" Ron asked. Ginny shook her head as she settled down with a magazine.

"Let's just leave it; she might be in Hogsmeade still. We can apologize to her at dinner," she said flippantly as she opened the magazine and settled down to read. Harry and Ron exchanged a look, from what they could tell Ginny was still stinging from the reproach that Rosmerta had given them and was a bit jealous that Hermione was spending time with her fellow students. As they sat down and began a game of wizard's chess, they couldn't have guessed that Hermione was in the Room of Requirement and laughing her head off.

 **Author's note: Boom! Chapter 2! I apologize for the wait, I've had some stuff going on and I just didn't have the time to sit down and write this. I'm hoping to have Chapter 3 up by Friday. What did you guys think of Hermione's lunch with the girls? Her conversation with Cho? I've always felt that Harry and Cho could have been a couple eventually, or at the very least could have stayed friends. Thanks so much for all your support, I'm glad people are enjoying this story** **Till next time, Xoxo. P.S. I'm sorry for the lack of Draco, but don't worry, he'll make an appearance in the next chapter ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione sat next to Parvati as the girls passed around a plate of brownies that they had gotten from the kitchens.

"Oh I shouldn't be eating these, not with what's happening next weekend. This is my last one," Hermione said as she took a bite.

"What's happening next weekend?" asked Katie as she kicked her shoes off and pulled her feet up on to the chair she was sitting on.

"I'm going to Glasgow with my cousin for a cheerleading competition. She sent me a letter this morning at breakfast asking if I could come and compete with them because one of the girls was asked to leave the squad for being rude to Emily. She's a friend of my cousin's and of mine; the three of us were really close when we were kids," Hermione explained.

"What's cheerleading? Is that like Quidditch?" Cho asked. Hermione shook her head.

"Cheerleading is a combination of gymnastics and dance. Emily and Annabel, that's my cousin, and I all did gymnastics and dance when we were little so I'm not really surprised that they became cheerleaders when they reached high school."

"Would you have become a cheerleader too? If you hadn't come to Hogwarts I mean?" Lavender asked. Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded.

"I think I would have. I've never been into sports like football and volleyball and basketball but I always enjoyed my dance classes and gymnastic lessons," Hermione admitted. To be honest until now she hadn't really thought about what her life would have been like had she not been invited to come to Hogwarts, but when she thought about it she probably would have joined the cheerleading squad.

"You'd probably still be super studious and like to read though," Parvati remarked. Hermione chuckled as she nodded.

"Oh yeah, the bookworm part of me will never change, no matter what I do. I don't think you have to choose to be just one thing. You can be smart and athletic _and_ pretty, you don't have to choose one or the other. That's one thing I didn't like growing up. There were some girls in my class that were early bloomers; I had known them since kindergarten, they were starting to wear make-up and stuff when we were 10 years old and it was like they changed overnight. They would stop answering questions in class; it was like they were ashamed of being smart."

"You certainly haven't chosen one thing, you're pretty and smart, although unfortunately I think Harry and Ron take advantage of that," Lavender remarked. Hermione looked at her in surprise.

"Come on, Hermione, I've seen you looking over their work in the common room and I've seen it whenever I'm asked to hand the homework back. You think I wouldn't recognize your brains? No offense to Harry and Ron but they couldn't come up with half the stuff that you do," Lavender said as she bit into a brownie. Hermione opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"I didn't realize it was that obvious," she said finally. If she was being truthful, Hermione had often felt that Ron and Harry were only friends with her because she was book smart.

"It is. It's nice that you help them, but they can't rely on you forever. Maybe it's time you tell them that they start pulling their own weight," Parvati suggested gently. The other girls nodded in agreement.

"I think you're right, I was just afraid that if I told them I wouldn't help them anymore they would stop being my friends. I guess if they do that they were never true friends were they?" Hermione asked.

"No, they're not. If they only appreciate you for your brains and not who you are as a person then they aren't worth your friendship or your time," Padma said wisely. Hermione nodded and glanced at her watch.

"It's almost five. Should we go down to dinner?" she asked. How had the afternoon passed so quickly? The other girls nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"I wish we didn't have to, this is fun," Katie said as they rose and stretched. After putting their shoes back on, the six of them left the Room of Requirement and headed down to the Great Hall. Since it was a weekend the seating was much more informal, so Hermione and Parvati and Lavender and Katie accompanied Cho and Padma to the Ravenclaw table. Luna Lovegood was sitting alone as they approached and Cho tapped her on the shoulder.

"Is it okay if we sit here, Luna?" she asked, her soft Scottish accent lilting. Luna looked up in surprise, her wide eyes taking in the Gryffindors and the two popular Ravenclaws. She nodded, hesitantly, as if expecting someone to yell "April Fool's" and walk away laughing.

"Thanks," said Cho as she took a seat on Luna's left side and Padma sat down across from them. The four Gryffindors followed suit, Hermione and Katie sitting on Luna's other side and Parvati and Lavender settling down beside Padma. For a few minutes the girls were silent, the only sounds were the knives and forks on the plates and the clinking of cups. Finally, Katie broke the silence.

"So did you go into Hogsmeade today, Luna?" she asked before taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Luna shook her head.

"No, I didn't have anyone to go with, so I just stayed at the castle and read in the common room. People think I'm strange you know," she said in her dreamy voice.

"The next Hogsmeade weekend you should come with us, we had lunch at the Three Broomsticks' and Hermione told us all about the muggle world, and a cheerleading competition that she's competing in next weekend with her cousin. Hermione what else are you going to do while you're hanging out with your cousin?" asked Lavender.

"I'm not sure, I don't know how much down time we'll have before and after the competition. We'll probably have Easter dinner with our family and maybe do a little shopping too," Hermione replied as the dinner dishes disappeared and were replaced with desserts. As the girls helped themselves to various desserts, they failed to see Ginny approaching them, with Harry and Ron behind her.

"Hermione!" Ginny's shout echoed through the Great Hall, effectively quieting the various conversations.

"Uh oh," Cho said. The other girls looked nervously from Hermione to Ginny. They could all tell a fight was about to go down, and it wasn't going to be pretty. Unfortunately Ginny's shout had attracted the attention of every occupant in the hall. All eyes were on the Ravenclaw table as the three Gryffindors came to a stop.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ginny demanded. Parvati opened her mouth to say something, but Hermione shook her head.

"Having dessert," she replied calmly. To illustrate her point she took a bite of the chocolate mousse in front of her and swallowed. "Mm, delicious," she said, running her tongue over her lips.

"I can see that, what I mean is what are you doing sitting with them? And why didn't you wait for us at the pub?" Ginny wasted no time, getting straight to the point.

"Are you serious?! Hermione waited for you lot for a whole hour and you're asking that? What the hell is wrong with you?" Cho spoke up. She was glaring at Ginny and her ex-boyfriend and his best friend. Harry shrank back a bit under Cho's glare while Ginny matched Cho's look with one of her own.

"Stay out of this Cho, we are Hermione's best friends and she's supposed to be sitting with us like she always has. Come on Hermione, let's go," Ginny said, fully expecting Hermione to get up and follow them back to Gryffindor table. The whole hall was watching for Hermione's reaction, you could have heard a pin drop. Hermione stood up, Ginny smiled thinking she had won but her smile slid off her face when Hermione stayed where she was.

"First of all, don't order me around. Second of all, how can you call yourself my best friend after the stunt you pulled today? Friends don't do that to each other, and they certainly don't come storming over like you did to demand what they're doing when they're sitting with people that so generously allowed me to sit with them and have lunch while the three of you were off doing God knows what. The next time we make a plan, either show up on time or send a message saying you're going to be late," Hermione said angrily.

"I can't even look at you right now, you get asked to do something in the muggle world, a world that you're not even part of anymore, and all of a sudden you're acting like a completely different person," Ginny sniped. Hermione gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Oh yes, Ginny, I've been asked to stand in as a cheerleader and I suddenly think I'm better than everyone. That's not true and you know it. The truth is that you're an insecure, jealous bitch who throws a tantrum when things don't go her way. You're jealous because I've been asked to be a part of something and you haven't. And as for hanging out with these girls this afternoon, I had a lot of fun and I enjoy their company." While Hermione had been speaking the collective mouths watching the confrontation had dropped. No one had ever seen Hermione act like that and were all wondering just how much more they didn't know about her.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like that? Harry, Ron, back me up!" Ginny whined. Hermione folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrows at the two boys. She was vaguely aware that the other girls, Luna included, had gotten to their feet and were standing around her. Harry and Ron looked around uncomfortably, the entire Hall, teachers included, were watching them. Ron's face was a dull brick red as he spoke.

"Well, Ginny's kind of got a point, Hermione. You are acting different, and it's not fair to us. You haven't been a part of the muggle world for years now, yet you're running off to take part in a lead cheering competition, with a cousin that until this morning we had no idea existed. How do we know that you didn't pay someone to write you that letter?" Ron asked. That was too much for Hermione.

"First of all, I didn't pay someone to write me that letter; Annabel genuinely wants me to come home for the competition. And if this is the way you feel, maybe I'm better off without the three of you. And it's called _cheerleading,_ Ronald, not lead cheering. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go back to my dessert," Hermione finished. She looked around at their audience. "Go back to your knitting, everyone, there's nothing to see here," she said. As if to illustrate her point she turned her back on the three Gryffindors, she sat back down at the Ravenclaw table, and after giving Harry, Ron, and Ginny a nasty look, the other girls sat down again. Harry shook his head and walked out of the Great Hall, Ginny and Ron chased after him.

"Harry, where are you going? Why didn't you say anything to Hermione?" Ginny demanded. Harry turned and looked at his girlfriend and best friend in disgust.

"Are you seriously asking me that? What happened to apologizing to Hermione? You two just jumped down her throat, and Ginny, she was right about you! You are jealous and insecure. If another girl even tries to talk to me you scare her away," Harry exploded as the rest of the school came out of the Hall. WHAM. Before Harry knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, and the two boys rolled around on the ground, hitting every part of each other they could reach.

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO MY SISTER THAT WAY!" Ron roared as the students stopped to watch the fight. Neville, Seamus and Dean hurried forward, with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Terry Boot right behind them.

"That's enough, the both of you!" Neville said as he and Seamus pulled Ron off of Harry. Dean and Justin had a hold of Harry while Terry helped restrain Ron.

"Quite right that's enough! Fifty points each from Gryffindor and a week's detention for both of you!" Professor McGonagall barked as she made her way into the Entrance Hall with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape right behind her.

"I want to see the two of you in my office, now!" Dumbledore ordered.

Hermione was standing with Cho and the other girls, shaking. The emotions of the day had caught up with her, and she was on her way to having a complete breakdown. Cho put an arm around her and motioned to the other girls.

"Let's go back to the room of requirement, where it's quiet, yeah?" she said. Hermione and the other girls nodded and made their way up the stairs with Luna, Katie, Parvati, Padma and Lavender forming a protective circle around Hermione. Halfway up the stairs, Padma paused.

"You guys go ahead, I'll meet you there," she said, before turning and hurrying back down the stairs. The other girls continued on to the Room of Requirement, which let them in on their first walk past. Cho guided Hermione over to the couch and gently pushed her down.

"I can't believe the nerve of those two! And Harry, he didn't even say anything!" Lavender said as she settled down on the floor at Hermione's feet. Gently she removed Hermione's shoes and started to rub her feet.

"Sadly I've come to expect that from Harry, he doesn't say anything while Ron and Ginny say it all. I wouldn't do that if I were you, I'm sure my feet stink," Hermione said as she settled back into the couch and let the tears fall.

"Someone needs to give that boy a smack around the head. And don't worry about smelly feet, I've dealt with it before. Sweaty armpits too," Lavender said as she tickled Hermione's feet, causing the other girl to let out a watery giggle. Just then Padma walked into the room and sat down beside Luna on the opposite couch.

"Where did you go?" Parvati asked her sister. As if in answer, there was a loud popping noise and three house elves appeared, carrying a tray of hot chocolates and cookies and hot fudge sundaes.

"Getting comfort food," Padma answered. The elves set the trays down on the coffee table.

"Will you be wanting anything else, misses?" one of them squeaked.

"No thank you, thank you very much for bringing that for us," Padma said. The three elves bowed and disapparated. Padma turned to Hermione.

"You don't have to hold it in you know, let it out," she said gently. Hermione smiled weakly before her tears turned into full-on sobs that wracked her body.

 **Author's Note: First of all, a thousand apologies for not posting this sooner! I had a lot of stuff going on in the last couple of weeks, with being away for my grandma's birthday and then coming back home and whatnot. I wanted to have this done yesterday but I didn't have time to finish it before I left for work. Anyways, enough of that, what did you guys think of the chapter? Of the confrontations? Fights and confrontations are not something I do well, in writing or in real life, so I hope I got it right. I'm so pleased that people are enjoying this story. I always get a thrill out of reading your reviews** **till next time, xoxox**


	4. Chapter 4

While Hermione was crying her heart out in the Room of Requirement, Harry and Ron were in Dumbledore's office with Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape looking disapprovingly at them. The two boys couldn't help but be reminded of the time they had flown Mr. Weasley's car to Hogwarts in second year, only this time they were bloodied by each other's hands.

"Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to start brawling about on the floor like a couple of barbarians. What on earth provoked this?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

"Harry said a few things about Ginny and how Hermione was right to say that Ginny was insecure and jealous. Now that I think of it, why didn't any of you intervene when Hermione was attacking her at dinner?" Ron questioned.

"I'd say it was the other way around, Mr. Weasley. From what I saw you and your sister were the ones verbally attacking Miss Granger while she was trying to enjoy dessert. If anything you should be happy that she's branching out and making new friends," Professor McGonagall said.

"But we're her best friends, she's supposed to be sitting with us," Ron pouted. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Madame Rosmerta said the same thing this afternoon. We were supposed to meet Hermione for lunch at 12 and we didn't get there until 1. Believe me if she's making new friends, I'm happy about that," Harry said. He'd been relatively silent up until this point, but he was starting to feel angry with Ron and Ginny again.

"Well, if that's the way you treated her, is it any wonder she didn't want to come and sit at the Gryffindor table? I'm very disappointed in both of you. Come and see me tomorrow and we'll sort out your detentions. Albus, Severus, is there anything you wish to add?" McGonagall asked briskly.

"I think you said it all, Minerva," Dumbledore said. Snape nodded in agreement. Harry and Ron, realizing that they were dismissed, rose and left the office. As the door shut behind them, Professor McGonagall shook her head.

"I don't know what it is with those two and Miss Weasley. Hermione gives them everything and gets very little in return."

"Perhaps if she spends more time with the other girls she will receive the friendships she deserves. I've seen Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley totally ignore her in lessons except when they ask her for her help with their homework," Snape put in. The Headmaster and the Deputy Headmistress shook their heads as the three professors retired for the night.

Meanwhile in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had stopped crying and the seven girls were lazing around on the couches, all suffering from a chocolate hangover.

"It's nearly curfew, shall we head out?" Parvati asked as she stretched. Hermione shook her head.

"I'm not particularly keen to go back to Gryffindor Tower tonight. After the spectacle at dinner I would prefer to stay out of the school's eye. I think I might just sleep here tonight," Hermione admitted. The idea had been in her mind since they had returned after dinner, and now that she was calm she had no intention of getting all worked up again.

"We'll stay with you," offered Cho. The other girls nodded in agreement. The room, as if understanding the conversation, produced mattresses, blankets, and pillows. A door creaking open caught the girls' attention, and they were amazed to see that a bathroom had appeared. After taking turns in the bathroom, the girls stripped down to their underwear and crawled under the blankets.

"This is way more fun than heading back to the common room," Lavender said. The other girls nodded in agreement as they drifted off. As the lights went out, the girls had little way of knowing that the drama between Hermione and her friends was being discussed by the entire school.

Draco and Blaise had been just as surprised as anyone when they witnessed Hermione stand up to the Weaselette and the other two thirds of the Golden Trio.

"Can we even call them the Golden Trio anymore? From what Granger said tonight it sounds like she's done with Potter and Weasley," Blaise wondered as they got ready for bed. Draco shrugged, he'd been impressed with the way Hermione had handled her friends and he agreed with every word she'd said.

"And what about the way Potter and Weasley had a go at each other? I have to wonder if Potter and Weaselette will stay together, they seem to be growing apart," Theo Nott piped up. The other boys nodded.

"What I want to know is what cheerleading is," Draco said. He was quite curious to know about this competition that Granger was taking part in.

"You could just ask her, now that she's not friends with the dense duo anymore there's nothing stopping you from talking to her or even asking her out. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Draco," Blaise said honestly. Draco nodded absentmindedly as he climbed into his four poster bed. Contrary to what Hermione had said, he didn't think she meant that she would genuinely cut her friends off, they would probably be made up by lunchtime tomorrow and then his chance would be gone. As he settled down to sleep, Draco found himself wishing that he hadn't been such a little brat in his early years at Hogwarts. Maybe if he hadn't he would have a better chance with the girl he fancied.

The next morning Hermione woke up and dressed quietly. Or so she thought. She was just slipping her shoes on when the other girls woke up and looked over at her.

"Getting an early start, Hermione? I thought we could all go down to breakfast together," said Lavender as she propped herself up on her elbow.

"I want to; I just want to go for a run first. If you guys want to sleep longer I'll meet you at breakfast," said Hermione. The other girls shook their heads and started getting dressed.

"Where were you going to go for a run?" Cho asked as she shimmied into her skirt.

"Just around the grounds, if you guys want to join me you're welcome to," Hermione offered. The other girls looked at each other, they were enjoying Hermione's company and couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't tried to get to know her sooner.

"Well, I'm not much for running, but maybe it's time I try something new," said Lavender. Cho and Katie also opted to join Hermione and Lavender on the run while Parvati, Padma and Luna decided to stay in the castle. Padma looked at her watch.

"It's 7:30 now, shall we meet for breakfast at 9:30 or so?" she suggested. Her friends nodded.

"That sounds good, see you girls then," said Cho as she, Hermione, Katie and Lavender left the room. They split off in the corridor after agreeing to meet in the Entrance Hall in 15 minutes. As Hermione, Lavender, and Katie made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room, Katie looked over at Hermione.

"Do the boys or Ginny ever come running with you?" she asked. Hermione shook her head.

"No. I've never invited them to come with me because Ron and Ginny would just complain the whole time and, well, I don't know about Harry. Ron and Ginny think that Quidditch is enough physical activity for them," Hermione admitted as they reached the portrait hole and gave the password. Katie headed off to her dormitory while Lavender and Hermione headed into theirs. Stripping off the clothes she'd been wearing since the day before, Hermione quickly changed into a sports bra, a long-sleeved shirt, leggings and her trainers while Lavender did the same.

"Think I'll be warm enough?" Lavender asked as she tied her hair back in a ponytail. Hermione appraised her. Lavender was wearing a T-shirt with her leggings.

"You might be chilly at first. Hang on a second," she said. Digging in her trunk, Hermione unearthed another long-sleeved shirt and threw it to the other girl.

"Slip that on, you can always take it off when we get going," Hermione said as they headed for the door. Lavender looked at her, bewildered.

"Get going? How hard exactly are we going to go?" she asked as they reached the foot of the stairs where Katie was waiting for them. The three of them left the common room.

"Well, I always start off easy and then when I'm warmed up I start to increase my speed," Hermione said as they walked down the stairs and found Cho waiting for them in the Entrance Hall. As the four of them headed out into the grounds, they failed to notice a certain red-haired Gryffindor glowering at their backs.

"Come on girls! Pick it up, pick it up!" Hermione said twenty minutes later. As promised, they'd started off easy, walking briskly down the path that led to the train station and Hogsmeade before Hermione turned off onto the grass. Once they'd reached the Black Lake Hermione had picked up her pace and started jogging. Ten minutes later she was running, Katie and Cho were keeping up with her pace but Lavender was struggling. She paused and bent over, planting her hands on her knees. The other three turned back and ran to her side.

"Girls, can we, can we go back to the castle now?" Lavender panted. Katie and Cho each seized an arm and started jogging lightly in place, Lavender between them.

"No, come on, come on! You're the one who said you wanted to try something new," Cho pointed out as the three of them started running, Hermione pounding along beside them.

"Come on Lavender, push, push, push! Ten more minutes and then we're done! Come on let's go," Hermione coached. The four of them ran to the end of the shoreline and then turned around.

"Okay, we're going to cool down now. Just walk back to the castle and then we'll stretch," Hermione instructed. The four of them walked towards the castle, just a nice and easy pace. Once they'd reached the stone steps, Hermione showed them how to stretch their legs and arms.

"Ooh I'm going to be sore tomorrow," Lavender groaned as they four of them headed up the stairs and into the Entrance Hall where Parvati, Padma and Luna were waiting for them. The seven of them headed into the Great Hall and sat at the Ravenclaw table again.

"How was the run? Are you guys winded?" asked Parvati.

"I am, Hermione and Cho and Katie all have more stamina than me," said Lavender as she poured herself some water.

"You did really well, though, Lavender. The first couple of times are always tough but it gets way easier once you've been doing it for awhile. You guys should join us next time," said Katie as the girls helped themselves to breakfast.

Across the hall, Ginny, Harry and Ron were watching Hermione laugh with her new friends. Ginny shredded a napkin between her fingers as she glowered.

"Leave it Ginny, don't go over there and cause another scene like last night's. We've given the gossip mill enough fuel for a few days," said Harry as he took a sip of his tea. He was sporting two black eyes and his nose hurt like hell every time his glasses shifted on the bridge of his nose. Ron had a split lip and a bruised cheekbone; he had ultimately fared better than Harry.

"I don't want to bloody leave it; I want Hermione back over here where she belongs. Look at her being all chummy with Chang," said Ginny moodily, watching as Hermione laughed at something Cho had said. Harry shook his head.

"What have you got against Cho, exactly? She's nice, and she doesn't have a fit when things don't go her way," said Harry. The previous night, he'd done a lot of thinking about what Hermione had said to Ginny, staring into the fire long after everyone had gone to bed. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Ginny didn't really love him; she loved the idea of being with the Boy Who Lived.

"Wanting to get back together with her, are you? Last year you were griping about how annoyed you were when she burst into tears at the drop of the hat. She was probably constantly comparing you to Cedric and how he was better than you," Ginny said nastily. Harry dropped his head into his hands. He'd had enough of Ginny's bitterness and jealous behaviour.

"You know what, Ginny? I'm tired of this. I'm tired of you tearing other people down, I'm tired of you both treating Hermione like she's the bad guy when in reality it's the three of us, yeah I said the three of us, who are the bad friends. Yesterday is just one example, but I can think of loads of times we haven't been there for her the same way she's been there for us. She doesn't deserve that and I'm going to spend the rest of the school year and the years after making sure she knows how much I value her and her friendship. If you two don't want to do the same, then I guess we're done," said Harry. Ginny and Ron stared at him.

"You're breaking up with me?" said Ginny.

"Our friendship is over?" said Ron at the same time. Harry nodded yes to both questions and got to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Ginny demanded. Harry rolled at his eyes at his ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend.

"To talk to Hermione and apologize to her," he replied before turning away.

"You haven't heard the last of this, Harry. You and I will be back together at the end of the week," Ginny vowed. Harry shook his head and walked over to the Ravenclaw table where Hermione was sitting. Taking a deep breath, he tapped her on the shoulder.

 **Author's note: Oooh, cliffhanger! Haha what did you guys think of that? I was going to write more but I looked at my pages monitor and it's at six pages! Harry has finally seen the light, but Ron and Ginny won't be letting him and Hermione go that easily. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Not too much Draco in this one but that will change ;) Till next time, Xoxoxo.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione was just polishing off her breakfast when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Harry, who was looking at her nervously yet hopefully.

"Do you think we could talk? In private?" he asked. Hermione took a sip of her orange juice. The other girls were watching them.

"Sure. But if all you're going to do is yell at me and throw a hissy fit because I didn't wait for you guys yesterday, then I'm not interested," Hermione responded.

"I wasn't planning to do that at all. Come on Hermione, please?" Harry pleaded. Hermione scrutinized him; he seemed to be genuinely sorry. She nodded and stood up.

"See you guys at lunch, yeah?" she said. The other girls nodded. Parvati mouthed _Good Luck_ as Harry led Hermione away from the table. Luna and the other girls, along with Ron and Ginny, watched them go.

Once they were away from the prying eyes of the Great Hall, Hermione looked questioningly at Harry.

"Where did you want to talk?" she asked. Harry gestured to one of the empty classrooms on the first floor. Hermione nodded and followed him inside. Perching on one of the desks, Hermione watched as Harry closed and locked the door behind him. He came and sat down on one of the desks across from Hermione. They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. Hermione was just wondering whether she would have to be the one to break first when Harry spoke.

"First of all, Hermione, I want to say how very sorry I am that we blew you off at lunch yesterday. That wasn't right and I know it. Ginny said we lost track of time, but that's not exactly true. I kept an eye on my watch the whole time we were in the Quidditch shop and when it got closer to 12 I said we should leave but Ginny and Ron wouldn't listen. And I'm sorry I didn't speak up when they were berating you at dinner last night," Harry said.

"Why didn't you? You could see that they were ragging on me and yet you stood back and did nothing," Hermione said stoutly. Harry sighed.

"I wanted to apologize to you in private. Ron agreed that we should apologize to you and we were going to as soon as we got back to the castle, honest. But then Ginny saw you sitting with the other girls, and well, she got jealous. She's already jealous about you going home for the cheerleading thing, and I guess seeing you sitting with people other than us just added fuel to the fire," Harry admitted.

"Okay but that still doesn't explain why you didn't speak up last night. Why, Harry? After everything I've done for you, after standing by you when no one else did after you'd been selected to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, why couldn't you stick up for me?" Hermione said, sounding close to tears. Harry looked down, shamefaced. He knew Hermione was right.

"I guess, because I didn't want to cause more gossip and turn Ron and Ginny against me. But after what you said to Ginny last night, I thought a lot about it. You're completely right, Hermione, on more than one count. You did stand by me in the Triwizard Tournament, which I don't think I ever thanked you for, so thank you. Ginny is everything you said and I knew that but didn't realize how strong it was until last night. I told them both this morning that it was over," Harry confessed.

"What?! You broke up with Ginny? You're not friends with Ron anymore? Harry, I-I can't believe it. Why did you dump them? And thank you for your apology," said Hermione. Harry shrugged.

"I dumped them because I realized that they've never been good friends to me or to you for that matter. And I also realized that Ginny loves the idea of being with The Boy Who Lived, not who I am as a person. I want and need someone who loves me for me. Ron, well, I don't know what I can say about him really. I kind of feel like he's used me the same way we've used you for our schoolwork to be honest. I'm sorry about that by the way, I'll try not to do that anymore," Harry rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, thank you. For all of that," said Hermione. Harry nodded and held out his arms. Hermione slid off the desk and stepped into his embrace. As she pulled back, he looked at her.

"So, tell me more about this cheerleading competition that you're taking part in, it sounds wicked," he said as he unlocked the classroom and he and Hermione stepped into the hallway.

"Well, my cousin's squad is going to finals and Annabel asked me to stand in because one of the girls got kicked off the squad for being nasty to Emily, who is a good friend of ours," said Hermione as she and Harry set off up the spiral staircase.

"And, what do you do? Flirt with the crowd?" Harry asked. Hermione laughed.

"Sort of, I suppose. Cheerleaders get the crowd going at various sporting events and they're there to show school spirit and support the teams. I hope my uniform isn't too slutty, I've seen some that are pretty out there and revealing," Hermione said as they stopped in front of the Fat Lady and Harry gave the password.

"That sounds cool. I wish I could come watch you," said Harry as they stepped into the common room. Hermione smiled at him before she went off for a shower. _Just you wait, Harry, just you wait_ she thought.

After he'd walked Hermione back to the common room, Harry remembered that he had to go see Professor McGonagall to sort out his detentions. While he wasn't looking forward to spending his week in detention, he knew that his actions the night before had been wrong and he had to pay the consequences. As he walked along, lost in thought, he failed to see Malfoy coming towards him.

"Where's your sidekick, Potter?" Draco asked curiously. He'd never seen Harry without Ron or Ginny or Hermione around. If he was his twelve or thirteen year old self, he would have thought that this would be a good opportunity to give Potter a good arse kicking.

"Ron and I aren't friends anymore and Hermione's taking a shower," said Harry, before mentally hitting himself in the forehead. He was a sixteen year old boy after all, and he knew how sixteen year old boys thought. Draco inwardly chuckled at Potter; it was quite amusing to see him let his guard down.

"Had enough of him, have you? Well, frankly I'm surprised you didn't see through him sooner. By the way, I'd like to apologize for everything I've done. I've been a right prat. Do you think we could start over?" Draco asked, holding out his hand. Harry, taken aback, stared at him. Was Draco Malfoy of all people apologizing to him? Then again, maybe a fresh start was what they needed. Nodding, Harry stepped forward and clasped Draco's hand. They shook.

"Listen, Malfoy, I'd better get going. McGonagall's expecting me. But thank you for your apology. Maybe we can build up to a friendship," suggested Harry. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard Draco badmouth anyone for quite awhile. Draco nodded and Harry set off again down the hall. Arriving at Professor McGonagall's office, he knocked twice and stepped inside.

When Hermione got out of the shower, there was a letter waiting for her on her pillow. Making sure her towel was around her securely; Hermione picked up the letter and sat down on the bed to read it.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _That's great that you're allowed to come! I was worried that you wouldn't be. If you could come on Tuesday night that would be great but if you can't come then that's okay. As long as you're here by Friday morning it shouldn't be a problem._

 _See you soon!_

 _Love,_

 _Anna._

Hermione finished reading and started getting dressed. Now that she had Annabel's response, she could start making preparations for the journey home. Once she'd magically dried her hair and braided it she pulled on a cardigan over a light blue tank top. Picking up Annabel's letter, Hermione hurried out of the dormitory and down the stairs. She left the common room only to be waylaid by Ginny. Ginny snatched the letter from Hermione's hand and read it.

"I think you should tell Annabel you're not coming. Let her and her stupid little team or whatever you call it fail at the competition. You're supposed to be staying here with us, Mum's sending an Easter package and you know how much you like the Easter eggs Mom sends," Ginny attempted to persuade Hermione. Hermione reached out and plucked the letter from Ginny's hand.

"I'm going, Ginny. I've already sent my response to Annabel; I'm not going to back out because unlike you I keep my promises," Hermione said as she pushed past Ginny.

"Fine! I'll tell Mum not to send yours. Thanks to you Harry and I are broken up now!" Ginny screeched as Hermione made her way down the hall. Hermione shook her head and kept walking. If Ginny was going to act like a petulant child that was her business, and as for the Easter eggs from Mrs Weasley; well, Hermione had never forgotten the snub in their fourth year when Mrs Weasley had sent a smaller egg for her because of the bogus Rita Skeeter had printed. None of it was true of course, but it had still hurt her feelings. As she neared Dumbledore's office, Cho caught up with her.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked. Hermione held up the letter.

"To see Dumbledore, Annabel sent me this an hour ago and wanted to know if I could come home on Tuesday night," Hermione replied as they stopped in front of the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office.

"Cool, well, when you're done, could we talk maybe?" Cho asked. Hermione nodded.

"Sure. This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain jet-black haired friend of mine, would it?"

"Maybe," said Cho casually, although the blush on her cheeks gave her away. Hermione squeezed the Ravenclaw girl's arm.

"We'll talk about it. Do you mind waiting here for me?" asked Hermione. Cho shook her head. Hermione gave the gargoyle the password and stepped onto the winding staircase. As she disappeared, Cho settled down on the hard stone floor to wait.

Hermione stepped off the staircase in front of Dumbledore's office and straightened her shirt. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the heavy wooden door and gave three quick knocks.

 **Author's Note: Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter long weekend and got lots of chocolate! I was hoping to have this chapter up earlier today but I was exhausted all day long. I'm a server at a sports bar and last night was our weekly wings night, which means I usually stay later than I'm supposed to. I didn't get home until midnight and I was supposed to be off at 9:30. Needless to say, I was a zombie all day. Anyhow, enough about that! I am so excited about this story, 5 chapters in and 24 reviews, you guys are absolutely amazing! I have been watching Hellcats and Bring It** On **clips on YouTube to get a feel for the story and also to study the movements of the cheerleaders. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Till next time, Xoxoxo.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Enter," said Dumbledore's voice behind the heavy wooden door. Hermione pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Ah, Miss Granger, what can I do for you this morning?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing at one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. Hermione sat down and held the letter from Annabel out. Dumbledore took it and smoothed it flat on his desk, peering at it over the tops of his half-moon spectacles. A few minutes later he looked back up at Hermione.

"It shouldn't be a problem for you to leave school on Tuesday after lessons are done for the day. If you like I can send a note to your teachers today and tell them to give you the week's homework before you leave. But I must ask you, how are you planning to get home?" Dumbledore asked as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. Hermione bit her lip; she hadn't thought that far ahead.

"By Floo powder, I suppose. I know the train won't run until the weekend. I could floo from somewhere in the school to my parents' house, I'll write them this afternoon and tell them I'm coming," Hermione decided. Dumbledore nodded.

"You're welcome to use the Floo connection from my office if you wish, then that way I can cast the charm on you before you depart the school," he suggested.

"Thank you sir, I'm sure that will work fine," said Hermione as she rose. Dumbledore handed her Annabel's letter back and bid her good day. Hermione closed the door softly behind her and headed down the stairs to where Cho was waiting for her. Upon seeing Hermione, Cho rose gratefully from her spot on the hard stone floor.

"You didn't need to sit on the floor you know," said Hermione as they set off down the corridor. Cho nodded, she knew her backside would be sore later on and was wishing she'd conjured a cushion to sit on while she'd been waiting for Hermione.

"Shall we go to the Room of Requirement, it will be quiet and no one will be able to overhear us there," Hermione suggested.

"Sure, sounds good," said Cho. The two girls walked in silence to the third floor corridor, each lost in their own thoughts. Cho was thinking that if it hadn't been for her own stupid pride and jealousy, she could have had Hermione as a friend for a lot longer. Hermione was wondering if Cho just wanted to be friends with her to get closer to Harry and possibly try a romantic relationship with him again. Coming to a stop in front of the Room of Requirement, Hermione walked back and forth three times before the door materialized and she and Cho entered the room. They settled down in the armchairs before the fire and Hermione waited for Cho to speak.

The Asian girl stared into the fire for a few minutes before turning to Hermione.

"Please don't think I'm just talking to you to get closer to Harry," pleaded Cho, unknowingly hitting on Hermione's train of thought from earlier. Hermione gave her a questioning look.

"I thought you wanted to talk about him," she said.

"I do, but I wanted to spend time with you because I genuinely enjoy your company. After Cedric died I shut myself off from the world and I lost a lot of friends because of that. I knew from watching you with Harry that you were helping him cope with Cedric's death. I guess I was jealous that Harry picked you to talk to about it and not me. I can see now how stupid that was," said Cho. Hermione shook her head.

"It wasn't stupid at all, in your shoes I probably would have been the same way. I don't know how much you know about Harry's home life, but maybe that's a conversation you need to have with him. It took him a long time to open up to me and to Ron. Maybe the reason he didn't open up to you about Cedric was because you guys haven't known each other for long enough," said Hermione. Cho nodded as she settled back in the armchair.

While Hermione and Cho were in the Room of Requirement, Harry had just come from setting up his detentions with Professor McGonagall. He was going to be helping Professor Snape with marking some first years' essays. _It could be a lot worse; you could be cleaning bedpans in the hospital_ thought Harry as he stepped through the portrait hole into the common room. He spotted Ginny by the fire, writing something feverishly on a piece of parchment; and Dean and Seamus and Neville close by. He headed over to join them, only sparing a glance at Ginny.

"Where have you been, mate?" asked Dean as Harry sat down.

"Sorting out my detentions with McGonagall, I'm helping Snape all week," Harry responded as he reached up to remove his glasses and rub his eyes.

"Do you know what Ron's doing? For his detentions," Seamus asked. Harry shook his head.

"No and I don't care. We're not friends anymore so I don't care what he's doing or not doing," said Harry as Ginny walked by. Smirking at the four boys, she flounced up the stairs to her dormitory to fetch an envelope and mail her letter. As she sealed it away, she thought _Harry and Hermione are going to regret dumping us._

Meanwhile, Cho and Hermione were still in the Room of Requirement.

"What do you think my chances are of asking Harry to try again?" Cho asked. Hermione bit her lip, facing her new friend.

"Well, he just dumped Ginny this morning, so I'd give him a little time. Maybe you can approach him later in the week and ask to talk," Hermione suggested as she yawned. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was close to lunchtime.

"Why don't we go get some lunch and meet up with the other girls?" she suggested. Cho nodded and the two of them got to their feet. As they left the Room of Requirement, they failed to see Draco coming down the hall, ready to ask Hermione if she wanted to have lunch with him one day in Hogsmeade. But the question died on his lips as Hermione and Cho headed down the hallway. Blaise came up beside him.

"Draco, you just have to man up and do it," he said as he spotted Hermione disappearing around the corner.

"I know, I know, but it's not that easy!" Draco said.

"Mate, we're Slytherins, we don't do easy, we're cunning! Think of a grand gesture, sweep her off her feet in style," said Blaise. Draco rolled his eyes at his friend.

"You've been reading too many of those muggle romance books," he said, taking great pleasure as he watched Blaise blush.

"Tell anyone about that and I'll make you wish you'd never been born," he threatened. Draco snorted as they headed to the Great Hall. He knew Blaise's threat wasn't serious; he just didn't like people knowing that he had a soft spot for all things muggle. Draco decided that by the end of the year he was going to ask Hermione Granger out on a date, pureblood status and his father be damned.

 **Author's Note: I Am SO Sorry I haven't updated in over a month, please don't hate me! I started school again in April and have been up to my neck in readings and classes that I haven't had a lot of time for anything else. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, looking forward to hearing your thoughts; I always like reading your reviews** **Till next time, XOXO.**


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the weekend and Monday passed by in a blur, and before Hermione knew it, it was Monday night. She would be departing Hogwarts the next day for the muggle world and she had written to her parents the previous evening to say she would be coming home. They'd written her back, saying how ecstatic they were to have her home for the holidays. Parvati, Katie, and Lavender were sitting on Parvati's bed, watching Hermione pack.

"Gosh, I wish we could come and watch you in the competition. It sounds like it's going to be spectacular," said Katie wistfully as Hermione held up two tops.

"Well, you never know. There are sometimes summer competitions so if Annabel and I do one you guys could always come and stay with me and my parents and then come to those. Luna and Padma and Cho too, and Harry. He said how much he wishes he could come watch. Which of these tops should I take?" Hermione asked. One was a fitted black tank top and the other a purple short sleeve tunic with gold shot through.

"Take both, you'll regret it if you don't," said Lavender wisely. Hermione folded the two shirts and placed them neatly in her trunk. Closing the lid, she sat down on her bed, facing her three friends. Friends, it was a funny word. This time last week she was still friends with Ron and Ginny, never dreaming that she would be in the starting stages of friendships with some of the most popular girls at Hogwarts.

"Where were you and Cho coming from yesterday when we met you at lunch?" asked Parvati.

"The Room of Requirement, she had some stuff she wanted to talk to me about and she didn't want to be overheard," Hermione said. The other three nodded.

"I've noticed she's been sneaking looks at Harry lots when he's not paying attention, maybe now that he and Ginny aren't involved anymore she'll make her move," said Lavender. The news that Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter had split up had spread like wildfire through the school, and Harry had found himself the center of attention from the female population, much to his chagrin. Hermione shrugged.

"It's hard to say, I think the last thing Harry wants right now is a new relationship. He's really stressed about the Quidditch finals, and trying to keep up with his homework and studying as well. He told me that Ron was awful at Quidditch practice yesterday afternoon. He kept trying to convince Harry that their friendship shouldn't be over and Ginny was looking smug about something," said Hermione, rubbing a hand over her face as she thought back to the conversation she and Harry had had over their homework the previous evening. The other girls frowned in sympathy.

"Well, hopefully Ron and Ginny's antics don't cause any trouble and don't cost us the Cup. We need to be able to work as a team if we want to win," said Katie. Hermione and the other girls nodded in agreement, with Hermione wondering how her best friend's first detention with Professor Snape was going.

In the dungeon, Harry was reading through a stack of essays from the first years. When his detention had started, Snape had outlined what he wanted Harry to do. Harry would be going through the papers and correcting any grammatical errors while Snape would do the marking. It was tedious work, and more than once Harry had taken his glasses off and rubbed his eyes before he put them back on and kept working.

"I have to say Potter; it's very helpful having you here. It usually takes me about two to three days to get through all the marking when I have to read through every essay and correct every error that I find," Snape drawled. Harry nodded.

"I don't mind sir, I'd rather be doing this than, say, scouring the bed pans in the hospital wing," Harry confessed. Snape looked at him, a hint of a smirk playing about his lips.

"So you don't resent that you're spending the entire week with me, helping with the marking? I'm impressed, Potter," Snape said.

"No, I know that I deserve to be in detention for fighting. It was stupid really, to fight with Ron. I do regret that. It was immature but I felt like I had to defend myself," Harry said, hardly able to believe that he was actually having a civil conversation with Professor Snape.

"Once again, I'm impressed. You're not like your father at all. I apologize for saying that you are arrogant and lazy, you're not. In fact, how would you feel about tutoring some of my students?" Snape asked. Harry looked at him, completely baffled.

"Tutoring? Me? In Potions or Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Harry asked.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, of course. If I remember correctly you got an Outstanding in your O.W.L, and it would look very good on applications for jobs after you leave school," Snape said. Harry nodded slowly.

"Yeah, all right then, I'll give it a go," he decided.

"Excellent, and with that Potter, I'll see you tomorrow evening," Snape said. Harry nodded and gathered his things.

"Good night, Professor."

"Good night, Potter."

As Harry walked along the corridor, lost in thought, he failed to see Draco coming around the corner.

"Oof!" Harry groaned as he bounced off of Draco and landed on the floor.

"Sorry, Potter, I didn't see you," said Draco as he extended a hand to Harry to help him up. Harry grasped his former rival's hand and allowed Draco to pull him up.

"Thanks Malfoy, and no worries. It's partly my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm just coming from detention with Snape. Where are you headed?" Harry asked.

"I'm just heading back to the common room, I was in the library. I thought I'd see Granger there, she's usually there when I'm leaving," Draco admitted, hoping he sounded casual. Harry didn't seem to notice.

"When I talked to her at dinner she said she was planning on packing. She's heading home tomorrow for the cheerleading competition that she's doing with her cousin," Harry said.

"Yeah, do you know what cheerleading is? I've been curious ever since Granger mentioned it at dinner on the weekend," said Draco.

"The way she explained it to me was that cheerleaders get the crowds going at sporting events in the muggle world. It sounds wicked, I really wish I could go watch her," said Harry as he checked his watch. Draco nodded as he took in the time.

"Yeah, well, off to bed for me. See you, Potter," said Draco. Harry nodded.

"Night, Malfoy," he said as he continued on his way to Gryffindor Tower. _Two civil conversations with Slytherins in one night, I have a feeling there will be more_ Harry thought. He and Malfoy weren't friends yet, but he knew it would take awhile for them to work through all the kinks in their past. As he arrived in the dormitory and began to get ready for bed, Ron came over to him.

"Harry, we've got to stop Hermione from going to the cheerleading competition, she's not a muggle, she's a witch. She is supposed to be here with us," said Ron.

"Blimey not this again, Ron. Hermione is leaving tomorrow and if you were really her friend you would be happy and excited for her. She wants to go and I for one am really excited for her. I think it's great she's staying in touch with her muggle heritage," Harry sighed as he climbed under the covers.

"Ginny is going to try and convince her to stay, she thinks that Hermione's cousin and her team can win without Hermione," Ron prattled on as though Harry hadn't spoken.

"Yeah, well, good luck with that. She spent tonight packing to go home," Harry said as he pulled his curtains shut.

"She won't be going if Ginny can help it," said Ron before he turned and went back to his own bed. Harry sighed as he took his glasses off and settled down to sleep.

In the girls' dormitory, Hermione was settling down to sleep after a hot chocolate with her roommates. Katie had left to go back to her own dormitory shortly after the hot chocolates and Parvati and Lavender were already asleep. Hermione yawned and closed her eyes only to open them again upon hearing a tapping at the window. Hermione groaned, she needed to be well-rested for the trip home and her classes tomorrow, but she got up and went to let the owl in. Once she detached the letter from its leg, it flew off to the Owlery for the night. Hermione looked at the letter in her hand and, deciding it could wait until the morning, laid it on the table next to her bed. Snuggling down under the covers, Hermione drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Hermione woke up, dressed, and opened the letter she had received the night before.

"What the hell is this?!" she exclaimed. Parvati looked up from where she was braiding Lavender's hair.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Hermione blinked a few times and cleared her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to read the letter out loud. She shook her head and held it out to Lavender, who took it and began to read, with Parvati reading over her shoulder.

 _Hermione,_

 _What on earth are you thinking, taking place in a competition where you will be half-naked in front of men? Ginny wrote me last night and told me that you were going to come home for a cheerleading competition. Not knowing what this was, I did a bit of research and was horrified by what I found. If you partake in this competition, which I hope you won't, you will not be welcome in our home any longer and no longer a part of this family._

 _Molly Weasley._

"You've got to be kidding me! Who does Mrs Weasley think she is?" Parvati exclaimed as she and Lavender finished reading. Hermione shook her head.

"I have no idea, but I'm still going home and still taking part in this competition, and the Weasleys' aren't going to stop me," Hermione said as Lavender handed the letter back to her.

"I think you should confront Ginny and tell her that she has no business running to her mum and trying to stop you from doing something that you really want to do," said Lavender as the three girls left their dormitory after collecting their books and bags for the day. Katie was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, and as they walked down to the Great Hall they were joined by Harry, Dean, Seamus and Neville.

"So, are you ready for your trip home Hermione?" asked Dean as they made their way into the Great Hall. Hermione nodded.

"Yup, I'm all packed. Just lessons today to get through and then I leave tonight," she replied.

"How are you getting home?" Neville asked as the group sat down and helped themselves to tea and toast, Hermione opted for a bowl of chopped fruit salad and a glass of orange juice.

"Dumbledore's letting me use the floo network from his office and I'll floo to my parents' house," Hermione answered as she took a bite of her salad.

"That's not all you're having for breakfast is it?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I can't afford to have the bacon and sausages, they're really high in fat," Hermione explained. Harry shook his head and pushed the toast rack and a big bowl of scrambled eggs towards Hermione.

"Well, at least have some eggs and toast too, Hermione. You can't last all morning on fruit salad and orange juice, you'll be hungry by break," said Harry.

"He's right, Hermione, you need to keep your strength up," said Dean. Hermione, realizing their words had truth in them, took a piece of toast and spooned some eggs onto her plate.

The group finished their breakfast and got ready to head to their first lesson of the day, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hermione took her usual seat next to Harry.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Hermione, Ron and Ginny are going to try and stop you from leaving tonight," Harry said as they waited for Snape to arrive. Hermione sighed.

"Too bad, I'm going. I had a letter from Molly this morning, Ginny wrote to her last night and told her that Dumbledore's letting me go," said Hermione before pulling the letter out of her bag and handing it to Harry. He read it quickly but didn't get a chance to say anything to Hermione as Snape arrived and started the lesson.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger, stay back if you please," said Snape at the end of the hour.

"We'll see you in Charms," said Parvati before she and the rest of their friends left the classroom. Harry and Hermione walked up to the teacher's desk and waited. Snape handed Hermione a neatly organized pile.

"These are your class work and assignments for the week. Obviously you can't do the practical work whilst you are in the muggle world, so when you return to Hogwarts you'll have several evenings with me where you will brew the potions. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, Professor, thank you for understanding how important this is to me," Hermione replied as she tucked the stack of papers into her bag. Snape nodded before turning to Harry.

"Now, Mr Potter, have you thought about my offer?" Snape asked.

"Yes. I'd like to do it," said Harry.

"Excellent, we will figure out a schedule for that later in the week. Now you two better get to your next class. Good luck at the competition, Miss Granger," said Snape.

"Thank you sir," said Hermione as she and Harry left the classroom. As they hurried along to Charms, Hermione asked Harry about his conversation with Snape.

"Last night during detention he asked if I would mind tutoring some of his students in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Harry explained. Hermione beamed at him but didn't have time to comment as they arrived in the Charms classroom and took their seats.

The rest of the morning passed by quickly, with Hermione's teachers giving her the week's assignments and wishing her luck at the competition. By lunchtime Hermione had a decent sized pile in her bag. After making a quick trip up to the girls' dormitories to deposit her homework in her packed trunk, she headed back downstairs to join the others for lunch. As she took a seat next to Harry, she noticed him looking over at the Ravenclaw table.

"You should talk to her, you know. If anything to give yourselves closure and maybe stay friends. Don't let a bad breakup cloud your future," Hermione advised as she pulled a tureen of chicken soup towards her.

"You sound awfully sure about that," Harry responded as he pulled his gaze away from Cho and refocused on his lunch.

"I am, it doesn't do to let your past inhibit your future. Maybe if you take it slow this time and actually get to know each other, who knows?" said Hermione. Harry nodded thoughtfully as he continued to eat his lunch.

The afternoon classes passed quickly and before Hermione knew it, it was time for her to leave. After changing out of her uniform, Hermione picked up her trunk and with Parvati and Lavender's help, lugged it down the staircase.

"Gosh, Hermione, how much did you pack for a week?" panted Lavender as they arrived in the common room and they set the trunk down.

"Maybe a bit too much, I kind of threw in all the dressy clothes that I have since I don't know what we're doing," Hermione admitted. She hugged the girls' goodbye and asked them to say goodbye to Luna, Cho, and Padma since she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to them that day. Bewitching her trunk so that it was lightweight, she picked it up and turned to give Harry a hug.

"Compete well and make us proud," he said. Hermione nodded.

"See you in a week," she said before she left the common room. As she walked along the corridor, she was grateful that she hadn't come into contact with Ron and Ginny that day. _No need for a sour start to my trip_ she thought as she walked up the stairs that would take her to Dumbledore's office. Approaching the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office, she gave the password and stepped onto the spinning staircase. Professor Dumbledore was waiting for her outside of his office.

"All ready, Miss Granger?" he asked as they entered the office together.

"Yes. I'm really looking forward to this," Hermione said as they stopped in front of the fire.

"Excellent. Now, if you please, close your eyes and picture what it is you're going to," instructed Dumbledore. Hermione did as he asked and closed her eyes. Concentrating hard on her parents' home, she felt a warm wave break over her and knew that Dumbledore had cast the spell. Opening her eyes, she watched Dumbledore point his wand at the fire where flames erupted.

"Good luck, Miss Granger, and remember that Hogwarts is behind you," he said. Hermione smiled at the headmaster as she took a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace. She shouted her parents' address and in a whirl of green flames, she was gone.

Dumbledore headed down to the Great Hall where the staff had gathered the students. Taking his place at the stand, he waited for the Hall to quiet. The students were completely bemused by the set up of the hall; the four house tables as well as the staff table had been cleared away, leaving only benches. At the front of the hall where the staff table usually sat, there was a huge shimmery screen. Upon seeing their headmaster, the students quietened.

"Thank you. Now, as you all have noticed, this is a different set up to what we normally have, and let me explain why. Over the past weekend, Miss Hermione Granger received a letter from a relative asking her to compete in a cheerleading competition. Miss Granger left Hogwarts a few minutes to go, but not before allowing me to cast a charm on her that will show us every moment of the experience. We will be viewing the muggle world for the next week, meaning we will be watching Miss Granger take part in the competition," Dumbledore announced. At his announcement, the room erupted into noise. Harry, as well as Katie, Luna, Parvati, Lavender, Cho, and Padma were all beaming. They'd wanted to watch Hermione at the cheerleading competition and now they had the chance. Draco and his friends looked at each other in awe; they didn't know there was such a spell. Ron and Ginny were fuming, they'd meant to talk to Hermione out of it and they'd failed. Dumbledore raised his hands for quiet and the hall fell silent once more.

"Now while this is an experience for all of us, it is also a privilege that can be taken away. The teachers and myself will be sitting among you, and if we hear any badmouthing of Miss Granger or inappropriate comments, you will be asked to leave and not come back. Now, without further ado . . ." Dumbledore pointed his wand at the screen and it blared to life. Leaving the platform, he sat next to Harry and across the hall from Professor McGonagall. For a moment there were only green flames and then Hermione stopped spinning. The students and teachers watched as she stepped out of the fireplace.

"Mom! Dad!" she squealed, dropping her trunk onto the floor and launching herself at a couple who were standing beaming at the sight of her.

"Hello, my darling!" Jean Granger exclaimed as she hugged her daughter. Richard Granger hugged his wife and daughter tightly. Hermione stepped back from her parents but kept a hold of their hands.

"It's so great to see you!" she squealed.

"You too, darling. Let's go and sit down, we ordered Chinese takeout for dinner with all your favorites," said Richard. As they arrived in the dining room, Hermione let out a shriek.

"Anna! Emily!" she cried before hurtling towards two girls who were sitting at the table.

"Surprise!" they said together before being knocked backwards by Hermione as she engulfed both of them in a bear hug.

 **Author's Note: Chapter 7! Woo-hoo! Hope you guys enjoy this. Thanks for your patience while I balance work, school and fanfiction. Till next time, xoxoxo**


	8. Chapter 8

"So how's school going Mia?" asked Emily as she spooned sweet and sour pork onto her plate. The Hogwarts population were watching as the Grangers and Hermione's two friends ate.

"What's that stuff she's eating? It doesn't look like anything we've had here," whispered Parvati to Lavender. Lavender shrugged her shoulders and shushed Parvati before turning her attention back to the screen.

"It's going well, thanks. My teachers all gave me the homework for the next week so I don't fall behind. It feels strange not to be wearing my school uniform right now," Hermione admitted.

"It's nice to know that you're still driven and haven't given up your dedication to your schoolwork. You haven't changed at all since you went to boarding school," said Annabel.

"Although it is a shame you couldn't have stayed here, the three of us could have been on the principal's role together and the cheerleading squad," Emily put in. Hermione grinned at her old friend. For a few minutes there was only the clinking of cutlery against plates. Presently Mr. Granger spoke.

"Hermione, your mother and I have to go out for awhile this evening and probably won't be back until late. We'll see you tomorrow, yes?" Hermione nodded.

"Anna, Emily, you're welcome to stay overnight," Jean offered as her husband took his plate into the kitchen.

"Thanks Auntie Jean," said Annabel.

"Yeah, thank you," said Emily as she remained at the table with Hermione and Annabel while Richard came back carrying his wife's coat and his. After saying good bye to the girls, the Grangers left.

"So what do you want to do tonight? Do you guys want to watch a movie, or go in the hot tub?" asked Hermione as the three of them finished eating and carried the dishes into the kitchen. The Hogwarts population watched with fascination as Hermione spooned the leftover food into strange looking containers and opened a large door with shelves inside.

"What is that thing?" Blaise whispered to Draco. Draco shook his head; he hadn't taken his eyes off Hermione ever since the viewing had started.

"Something muggles put food in, obviously. Maybe we'll find out," said Draco. He stopped talking in time to hear what the girls said in response to Hermione's question.

"Well, the thing is Mia, we have to be up for 7am, we have practice at seven-thirty until ten and then we take an hour and half break and then practice again from one till six. It's going to be like this until Saturday for the competition," said Annabel, grinning nervously at her cousin.

"I suppose we'd better go to bed then, a hot tub would be good tomorrow though after practice," said Hermione. Emily and Annabel nodded in agreement. After they finished tidying up the kitchen and leaving a light on for Hermione's parents, the three of them headed upstairs. The screen went black and Dumbledore looked around at the hall. All around students were discussing what they had just seen, with the teachers joining in on the conversations. Dumbledore turned to Harry, who had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, Harry, what did you think of that?" Dumbledore asked. Harry jumped slightly before turning to face his headmaster.

"I thought it was brilliant, I can't wait to see Hermione compete at the competition. I hope she doesn't run herself too ragged though with how long she has to practice and with her schoolwork," Harry admitted. He was thinking about the Time-Turner in third year, when Hermione had been so overworked she had had more than one breakdown. Looking back on it now Harry felt guilty for not being there more for Hermione.

"She'll be fine, Harry. Miss Granger has proven herself time and time again capable of anything. Now, I think it's time you were off to bed," said Dumbledore. Harry nodded as he rose from his seat and bid the headmaster good night. Ginny was waiting for him as he left the Great Hall.

"Can you believe the Grangers' just up and left after eating? And when they knew Hermione was coming home too," she said as she walked alongside Harry and slipped her hand into his only for him to pull it away. Ginny pouted at her ex.

"Ginny, maybe they had plans before they knew Hermione was coming home, you can't make that kind of assumption," said Harry tiredly, all he really wanted to do was get away from his controlling ex-girlfriend and get into bed. Ginny ignored him and pressed on.

"I still can't believe she has the whole week off of school and for some muggle tournament that she probably has no talent or skill in. Mom and Dad are coming on Saturday you know, they plan to talk some sense into Dumbledore and-"but she was cut off.

"Okay, first of all, I can't see Arthur talking sense into Dumbledore, he's too mild mannered for that and secondly, what right do you have to talk about Hermione like that? She was your friend up until recently and yet you belittle and insult her. I have half a mind to go back into the Great Hall and tell Dumbledore not to let you back into watch the rest of the week," Harry exploded. Ginny gave him a sly smile and flipped her red mane over her shoulder.

"Yeah but you won't. As for Hermione, she'll be begging on her knees to have me and Ron as friends again when she comes back from the competition and when she's lost."

"Now I know I made the right decision to break up with you. You might be pretty on the outside but rotten to the core on the inside. You truly enjoy tearing other people down and making them feel bad about themselves and I'll never be with you again or touch you again because of it. Now leave me alone, I want to go to bed," said Harry. Their conversation had carried them all the way to Gryffindor Tower and Harry walked up the flight of stairs leading to the boys' dormitory.

 **Author's Note: Hello All and Happy New Year! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for your patience as always while I balance work, school and fanfiction. Till next time, xoxoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hello all! Before we step into Chapter 9, I just want to address one of the reviews I got a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story, but saying that you hate me is not only rude and unnecessary, it's also very hurtful. Now, I don't know why someone would say that, but if it's because I haven't updated for awhile or because they don't like the story, either way it's completely uncalled for. I am also working and going to school, so I don't spend hours writing, as much as I'd like to. That being said, I will try to be better about updating more frequently, but saying you hate me will not make me update faster. As always, thank you for your patience while I balance work, school, and fanfiction.**

The next morning Harry walked into the Great Hall with Dean, Seamus and Neville to see that the benches and house tables were all back in their proper places.

"Wonder what's going on?" said Dean as the four boys took a seat.

"Looks like we're about to find out," said Neville as Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and waited until every eye in the Hall was upon him.

"A good morning to you all, I hope you had a wonderful sleep and enjoyed our first foray into the muggle world. After you all went to bed last night, the rest of the teachers and I decided we should save the viewings for after dinner each evening. That being said, enjoy your classes today and we'll see you all this evening," said Dumbledore before he stepped back and returned to the staff table. Soft murmurs filled the hall as everyone discussed the day and wondering what that night's viewing would bring. Across the aisle, Cho was watching the Gryffindor table nervously. Padma's clearing of the throat caught her attention. Cho turned back to see Padma and Luna watching her.

"Just relax, Cho. Harry will listen if you talk to him. I know for a fact you both have a free period this morning, so ask him if you can talk to him then," said Padma. Cho nodded and shakily took a bite of her breakfast. Twenty minutes later she'd finished eating and was getting ready to go and talk to Harry.

"Wish me luck," she whispered to her two housemates. Both of them gave her a nod, with Padma giving her a thumbs up. Cho took a deep breath and followed Harry out of the Hall. She waited until he had seen Dean and Seamus and Neville off at the bottom of the staircase, and then approached tentatively. She took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, and cleared her throat.

"Harry?" she said softly. Harry turned to see his ex-girlfriend standing behind him.

"Hi," he replied.

"Hi, um, can I-I mean can we talk?" Cho asked, flustered. _For goodness' sake, Cho, calm down. It's not like this is the first boy you've ever talked to_ she berated herself. Harry nodded.

"Sure, let's go for a walk around the grounds, shall we?" Harry offered. Cho nodded and the two set off. The April sunshine was weak, hidden by a cover of clouds as Harry and Cho walked down the path before branching off onto the grass. Harry snuck a glance at Cho, who was walking with her head down and her arms wrapped around herself. Even though they'd been broken up for a year and a half, he still found her very beautiful.

"Are you cold?" he asked as they came to a stop besides some large boulders. Harry settled down on them, Cho joining him.

"A little," she admitted. Harry unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off before draping it around Cho's shoulders. Cho smiled at him in thanks and slid her arms into the sleeves. For a few minutes the two sat in silence, looking out over the water of the lake.

"So you said you wanted to talk," said Harry after a few minutes. Cho nodded and shifted on the boulder.

"What did you want to talk about?" Harry asked.

"About us, and about where we went wrong with our relationship last year," Cho admitted. She was warmer now, but speaking those words out loud made chills run up and down her body. She shivered involuntarily. Harry nodded.

"Well, I think we both played a role in that. I wasn't understanding or patient enough with you, and yet I knew you were going through a difficult time. I'm sorry for that, Cho, truly. Deep down I knew you needed to talk about Cedric, and to an extent I did too. But I thought if we just tried to be together and forgot about the past we would be okay." Cho nodded as Harry finished speaking.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't take your feelings into account and how you must have been feeling about Cedric's death. I talked about this with Hermione the other day, and the reason I got defensive whenever you said her name was because I saw her as a threat, a rival for your affection," Cho said. Harry smiled weakly at her.

"I guess we both made a mess of everything, didn't we? We didn't talk enough and it blew up our in our faces," he said softly. Cho swallowed hard.

"That, and the fact that we didn't really know each other. We kind of just jumped in feet first after that kiss and things just snowballed from there," Cho said.

"Look before you leap," Harry said. Cho looked at him, puzzled.

"It's a muggle saying. It means take a good look at what you're about to do before you dive in headfirst. Weigh all the options, as it were," Harry explained. Cho nodded; pleased they hadn't started screaming at each other. Harry looked at her, remembering what Hermione had said about talking to Cho. _Don't let a bad breakup cloud your future_ she'd said. Harry swallowed and opened his mouth to speak, but Cho beat him to it.

"Harry, I'd like to try this again. Being together I mean. I know you just got out of a relationship with Ginny and that it's probably too soon, but when you're ready I'd like to, okay?" Harry nodded.

"Sure. I'd like that too. Let's just take it slow and see where it goes, okay?" Cho smiled and nodded as Harry got to his feet and offered a hand to Cho. Cho took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Harry wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently. Cho hugged him back and tucked her face between his neck and shoulder.

"We should probably go back to the castle, the bell will be ringing soon," said Harry as he released her. Cho nodded as they left the boulders and headed back towards the castle, hands brushing gently.

 **Short filler chapter for you guys while I edit Chapter 10.** **Till next time, Xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione opened her eyes and groaned as she looked at the clock. It was 4.30am and she had to be up at 6:30 to get ready for practice with Annabel and Emily. She rolled over and closed her eyes, letting sleep take her under again.

"Hermione, Hermione wake up," said Annabel, shaking her shoulder. Hermione groaned and shook her head.

"Five more minutes, Mom," she yawned and pulling the covers over head. Annabel looked at Emily and nodded. She'd forgotten her cousin wasn't much of a morning person whenever she came home for the holidays. Emily snickered quietly as she tiptoed to the end of Hermione's bed.

"BOO!" she said as she jumped onto Hermione's bed, landing right on top of her. Hermione shot wide awake and crawled out from under the covers.

"Oof! What the heck, Em?" she said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glared at Emily who was sitting on her legs, beaming.

"You wouldn't wake up when Anna shook you, so we had to use Plan B. Now get your butt out of bed, and get dressed. Coach will kill us if we're late!" Emily exclaimed as climbed off the bed and yanked the covers back as Annabel threw the curtains open. Hermione yawned again as she swung her legs out of bed.

"Don't worry, Mia, we'll stop for coffee on the way to school," Annabel promised as she pushed some clothes into Hermione's hands. After instructing her to pull her hair back so it was off her face, Annabel and Emily left her to get dressed. Once she'd finished dressing she sighed and stretched.

"Well, Hogwarts, you're about to see Day Two in the muggle world. Hope you're ready for this," she said as she slid her arms into her jacket and picked up her gym bag which she'd packed the night before with extra clothes and some of her homework. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where Emily and Annabel were waiting for her. Annabel handed her a yogurt and fruit cup with granola sprinkled on top.

"We've got lunches and snacks packed for the rest of the day," Emily explained as the three of them left the house, Hermione pausing to lock the door behind her.

"How are we getting to the school? Are we taking the bus?" Hermione asked as she caught up to them. Emily shook her head and held up her car keys.

"I got my license last summer," she explained.

"I got mine in September, now Em and I carpool to and from school," Annabel explained as they reached Emily's car. Annabel climbed into the back seat and let Hermione have the front. Hermione nodded as she dug into her breakfast. She couldn't help but feel a little out of place and slightly behind Emily and Annabel. She always thought she would get her driver's license the same time as they did, but that had all changed when she went to Hogwarts.

Meanwhile at Hogwarts, Harry was contemplating his conversation with Cho from that morning as he copied down notes in his Defense against the Dark Arts class. Now that he and Professor Snape were on better terms, he found he actually enjoyed going to that class instead of dreading it. The bell rang, signalling the end of class.

"Mr. Potter, a word if you please," called Professor Snape. Harry nodded and neatly packed his books away into his bag. Approaching the teacher's desk, he stood and waited for Snape to speak. The professor finished packing his papers away before looking up at Harry.

"Potter, you have a free period after lunch, correct?" Harry nodded and shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other.

"How would you feel about starting that tutoring job we were discussing? I have a class of first years after lunch and that would be a good place to start I think," said Snape.

"Great, what classroom?" Harry asked as he walked out of the classroom with Snape.

"Classroom five on the third floor," responded Snape. Harry nodded as they reached the Great Hall.

"Brilliant, well I'll see you then, sir," he said. Snape nodded before heading to the staff table while Harry made his way to the Gryffindor table where Dean, Seamus and Neville were sitting.

"Wonder how Hermione's doing so far," Seamus said as he took a bite of his fish. Harry shook his head as he served himself some soup and garlic toast.

"Don't know, I guess we'll find out tonight," he said before taking a bite of his lunch.

"I have to say, after seeing last night I'm intrigued to see the rest of this week," Neville said. The boys nodded in agreement and spent the rest of the lunch hour eating in silence. As the bell rang signalling the end of lunch and beginning of afternoon classes, there were more than a few groans.

"If there's a spell that allows us to see Hermione while she's in the muggle world, why isn't there a spell that makes the day go by faster?" Parvati complained as she left the Great Hall with the girls.

"Parvati, would you really want a spell that makes time go by faster? Time already goes by so fast and we can't get it back once it's gone," said Luna.

"That's true, I just really want to see what Hermione got up to today," Parvati admitted. The girls nodded in agreement as they headed to their afternoon classes.

Harry climbed the last few stairs to the third floor and walked down the corridor. Peering into a classroom he saw Professor Snape standing at the front of a classroom. Harry carefully pushed open the door and walked inside. Snape looked around as did the class, who immediately began whisper.

"Settle down, settle down. Mr. Potter has kindly agreed to assist with the lesson this afternoon. He'll be walking around as will I and helping anyone who asks for it. If you wish to catch his attention, please raise your hand," said Snape. Harry grinned at the first years and set his bag in a corner of the classroom. He wasn't really sure where he was supposed to sit/stand, so he settled for leaning against the wall while Snape outlined the lesson plan. Today they were learning about defensive spells.

"Now, while we are focusing on the written theory today, next lesson we will be learning the practical part. In other words, how to use the spell properly," Snape explained. He settled behind his desk and pulled papers towards him. Harry pushed himself off the wall and started walking up the first aisle of desks. His attention was caught by a hand belonging to a Ravenclaw student. He crouched down next to the girl and spoke softly.

"Hi, what's your name?" he asked kindly. The girl swallowed nervously before answering.

"Brianna," she answered hesitantly.

"Hi Brianna, it's nice to meet you. I'm Harry. What do you need help with?" Harry asked. Brianna swallowed and pointed at the book open in front of her. Harry looked at the page and saw it was about "Expelliarmus."

"Ah, Expelliarmus, that's a good spell. I've used it quite a bit myself," Harry told her as he shifted into a more comfortable position.

"What's it for? How do you use it?" Brianna asked. She was beginning to get over her shyness, that was good, Harry thought.

"It's for protecting yourself. Say you got into a sticky situation and you needed a spell that would allow you to defend yourself. Used properly, "Expelliarmus" would allow you to disarm your opponent long enough for you to get away and find help. It's also a good way to block unfriendly spells," Harry explained. Snape watched from his desk as Harry interacted with Brianna and found himself smiling. He had been right; Harry was the right man for the job. Spotting another student with their hand in the air, Snape gathered his black robes as he got to his feet and walked towards the Gryffindor boy. Bending over the desk, he listened as the boy explained he didn't quite understand the disarming spell either.

Harry looked up and saw the professor was no longer at his desk. Spotting him two rows over with a first-year Gryffindor, he looked around and saw two hands raised at the same table.

"Brianna, I need to go help the other students. Do you feel like you've got enough of a grasp on the spell now?" Brianna nodded.

"I think so. Thank you for helping me, Professor, I mean, Harry, I mean," she spluttered. Harry patted her on the shoulder.

"Harry is fine. You're welcome and if you need help again don't hesitate to ask, okay? It's what I and Professor Snape are here for," he said. Brianna nodded and gave him a shy but bright smile. Harry smiled back at her before standing up and heading over to the table that had a Ravenclaw boy and Slytherin girl sitting at it.

"Hi guys, what are your names?" he asked.

"Braden."

"Halle."

"Well, it's nice to meet you both. I'm Harry. What can I help you guys with?" Harry asked. The rest of the class passed by quickly; with Snape and the class thanking Harry for his help, the latter giving Harry a small nod before he left the classroom. As he walked along the hallway, Harry thought about how much he'd enjoyed helping the class. Walking into his last class of the day, he settled into his desk that he shared with Parvati. The class flew by and before anyone knew it, it was time for dinner and then that day's viewing.

As they finished dinner, Professor Dumbledore pointed his wand and the silver screen from the night before flew from it. The other professors, with the help of the students were rearranging the seating. Once everyone was settled, Professor Dumbledore pointed his wand at the screen and it began to play. The students and staff chuckled at Hermione's sleepy conversation with her cousin and collectively winced when they saw Emily jump onto Hermione.

"That had to hurt, what a wake-up call," Cho murmured to Harry and Luna who were sitting on either side of her. The two nodded before turning their attention back to the screen, which was showing Hermione following Emily and Annabel into the gym and over to a tall brunette woman who had a clipboard in her hand.

"Coach Simpson, I'd like you to meet Hermione Granger, my cousin," Annabel introduced Hermione. Hermione smiled brightly at the coach and held out her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Hermione, thank you for coming to our rescue this week. Ever since the unfortunate incident with Felicia I was concerned we wouldn't have enough team members to compete," the coach said, shaking Hermione's hand.

"It's no problem at all, I'm excited to be here," Hermione said.

"Excellent, well before we get started, we need to find a uniform for you. Captains, take Hermione to the closet where we keep the uniforms and be back here in 15 minutes. The rest of you get changed and back out here in 5, I want 10 laps around the gym to warm you up. And Hermione, I hope you're prepared to work hard," Coach Simpson said before blowing her whistle. The Hogwarts population watched this scene with interest and a bit of fear. The coach seemed like person that was not to be crossed.

"She doesn't mince words, does she?" Draco murmured to Blaise and Pansy Parkinson who were sitting with him. The two shook their heads. They watched as the three girls entered a closet off of the girls' change room.

"So do we wear the uniforms to practice in or do we wear shorts and a tank top?" Hermione asked as she followed Annabel over to a rack of cheerleading uniforms. She wasn't sure as everyone had been in track pants and hoodies.

"Our uniforms. Coach insists on it because in her mind, we have to be comfortable in them for games and stuff. Sorry Mia, I should have warned you about that, it slipped my mind," Annabel answered as she pulled a plastic garment bag off the rack and checked the tag.

"This is a size four, is that going to fit okay?" she asked. Hermione nodded as she took the bag from her cousin and examined it. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"What's wrong?" Annabel asked.

"Just don't want to let you guys down that's all. It's fine," Hermione said. Annabel nodded and squeezed her arm comfortingly.

"Then let's get out there and show them what you've got," Annabel said as the two of them walked out of the closet. Emily and the other girls were waiting for them, already changed and ready to go. Annabel quickly slipped into a stall to change into her uniform, with Hermione doing the same. The screen went black for a moment and only the girls talking could be heard.

"Hey, Mia?" said Emily.

"Make sure you put your hair in a ponytail before you come out. It's the most effective way to keep your hair out of your face," Emily instructed.

"Okay, thanks. I'm almost done. I'll be out in a couple of minutes," Hermione listened as the girls left the change room. She exited the stall and went to stand in front of a mirror.

"Sir, why is it only showing her head?" Harry whispered to Dumbledore who was sitting behind him.

"The spell only shows what the person is focusing on at the moment," Dumbledore whispered back before gesturing to Harry to turn back around. Hermione pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, tightening the elastic around her hair three times. She took a deep breath and turned around. To her surprise, she saw a single girl standing in the middle of the room. Smiling warmly, she approached the girl.

"Hi, I'm Hermione. Are you on the squad too?" she asked. The girl gave a derisive sniff as she looked Hermione up and down.

"I used to be. I'm the one whose spot you took after Emily snitched on me and got me kicked off the squad. But don't worry; I'll be back on the squad for the competition this weekend. I wouldn't get too comfortable in that uniform. Once Coach Simpson sees how . . . incompetent you are, because honestly you don't look like much of a cheerleader, she'll be begging me on bended knee to come back. Enjoy it while you can," Felicia said as she flipped her dark hair over one shoulder. Hermione's mouth dropped open and so did Harry's, as well as the rest of the Hogwarts audience. Before Hermione or anyone else had a chance to say anything, Annabel came into the change room.

"Hermione, come on, everyone's waiting for you," she said before she caught sight of Felicia.

"What are you doing here? You're not on the squad anymore," Annabel said, placing a hand on her hip. Felicia turned away from Hermione and faced her cousin.

"Just giving a warm welcome to your cousin, and last time I checked it was a free country," she said before leaving. Annabel turned to Hermione.

"What did she say to you?" Hermione snorted.

"Just a pile of rubbish about how I shouldn't get too comfortable in the uniform, blah blah blah," Hermione said. Annabel grinned at her.

"Listen to you, you've barely been in that uniform for 5 minutes and already you're talking like a cheerleader. Come on, let's go," Annabel said as she turned and walked out of the change room, Hermione following after. Annabel cleared her throat loudly as she walked into the gym where the rest of the team was waiting.

"As your captain, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you the newest member of the England Knights cheerleading squad, Hermione Granger!" she said, before turning and gesturing wildly at Hermione. Hermione shook her head smiling as the team started cheering; her cousin always did know how to make an entrance.

"Are you ready Hogwarts?" she said quietly before placing her hands on her hips and lifting her head high. She walked out into the gym to great applause and whoops and hollers and a catcall from Emily. Once again, the Hogwarts audience collective jaws dropped. Hermione was wearing a baby blue crop top with the letters EK blazoned across her chest, a matching skirt, and white trainers.

 _Oh yeah, this is going to be good_ Hermione thought as she joined Annabel and the two walked over to join the rest of the team.

Ginny watched jealously as the boys near her and the ones around the hall began talking animatedly about what they'd just seen. She'd find a way to get the attention off the Golden Girl of Gryffindor and onto herself. _Just you wait, Hermione, you might be on top right now, but you won't be for long_ she thought.

 **Author's Note: BAM! Chapter 10! Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for your patience while I balance school, work, and fanfiction. You guys are awesome! Kisses! Till next time, Xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione made her way over to the rest of the team, grinning from ear to ear. Coach Simpson smiled back at her before blowing her whistle.

"All right Knights, let's get moving! I want 10 laps around the gym to get warmed up, let's move! This competition isn't going to win itself," she said. Hermione joined Annabel and Emily as they started a slow jog around the gym, gradually picking up speed. Meanwhile at Hogwarts, the population was buzzing as they watched Hermione and her friends.

"Who knew Granger had that body?" Pansy whispered to Blaise and Draco in awe as they watched. The two boys shook their heads before pulling their attention back to the screen as the team finished their ten laps.

"Drop! Give me fifteen push-ups!" the coach barked. Hermione dropped to the floor next to Annabel.

"She doesn't go easy, does she?" she said, panting a little as grunts and groans were heard. Annabel shook her head.

"Nope, she's the best coach the squad has had, she works us hard and pushes us to our limits, that's why we've made it this far," she responded.

"Girls! Less talking, more pushing! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" the coach said, clapping her hands together. Harry watched in interest, he was getting some ideas on how to better the Gryffindor Quidditch team's training.

"Good Lord, I wonder if this is what all sports teams in the muggle world are like," Professor McGonagall murmured to Professors Flitwick and Snape. The two men shook their heads, they weren't accustomed to seeing Hermione push herself to physical limits; they had become used to seeing her bent over books and notes, or answering questions in class.

"I'm sure the rest of the week will be just as fascinating as the last couple of days," Professor Snape drawled as the cheerleaders finished their push-ups.

"Excellent work, Knights. Okay, gather round everyone, it's time to see what our newest squad member can do. Hermione, you up for it?" Coach Simpson asked. Hermione nodded, pushing her sweaty hair off her face. She was glad Annabel had told her to put her hair in a pony tail.

"All right then. Grant, you're our DJ master, set up the music. Something with a fast pace, but has a rhythm and is easy to move to," the coach instructed a tall, brown-haired boy with green eyes. He nodded before turning to Hermione.

"Do you have any requests?" he asked. Hermione stood thoughtfully for a second before leaning up on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear, he had to lean down to hear her. Draco clenched his fists on his knees, his back stiffening.

"Easy, mate. It's okay," Blaise whispered, having noticed his friend's tension. Draco merely nodded, his jaw clenched tightly. He watched as Hermione walked to the center of the floor and stood with her feet apart.

Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _Okay Hermione, don't over-think this; just let the music move you. Pretend you're in the living room with Annabel and Emily and just dance. Dance like there's no one watching._ Opening her eyes, she nodded to Grant, letting him know she was ready. He nodded back and hit play. Emily and Annabel grinned as they heard the opening chords of the song they knew so well. Hermione shook, shimmied and twisted in time to the music. _Get ready Hogwarts_ , she thought as she ran to one end of the gym. Getting a running start, she did a perfect hand spring, followed by a round off, then a cartwheel. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Coach Simpson nodding as she prepared for her grand finale. Gathering all the power in her legs, she performed a back flip before coming to the spot she'd started. She swung her arms above her head and then brought them back down in a swift cutting motion by her hips as the music finished. The Knights and Hogwarts population exploded into cheers and applause.

"That was incredible!"Cho gasped. Harry nodded as he clapped along with the others.

"I know, I had no idea she could move like that," he said as everyone quieted down.

"I liked the song she chose," Luna whispered before turning her attention back to the screen where Hermione was getting squeezed by Annabel and Emily.

" _Genie in a Bottle_ by Christina Aguilera, the very first song we danced to in your living room when we were younger. Good choice, Mia," Annabel said as she finished hugging her cousin. Hermione grinned as she turned to face the coach and the rest of the team.

"Well, Coach, does she pass?" Emily asked as she looped an arm through Hermione's. Coach Simpson nodded and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could, however, a cool voice spoke from the bleachers.

"Oh come on, Coach Simpson, you can't be that impressed by that little nobody," Felicia sneered as she walked down the stairs and onto the gym floor. Harry's jaw clenched at the insult to Hermione, as did Cho's, Luna's and the rest of the girls who Hermione had befriended that week.

"Oh no, not the evil Felicia again," Cho whispered, taking Harry's hand and squeezing it to calm him down.

"Felicia, I told you weren't welcome at team practices anymore. Just because you're my niece doesn't mean you can disobey the rules," the coach snapped.

"Oh that's awkward," Harry muttered as Felicia smirked.

"I had to see for myself what the pathetic excuse for my stand in was made of, and the last time I checked, this is a free country and there aren't any rules about not coming into the gym even though you're not part of a team anymore."

"You're right, there aren't, but there are rules about having no food or drink except water in the gym, it says so right on the gym door. Maybe there should be a rule about no bitches in the gym," Hermione said before she could stop herself. Annabel and Emily gasped as did the rest of the team. Felicia's eyebrows narrowed at Hermione.

"What's the matter Felicia? You can dish it out but you can't take it? Hate to break it to you, but there are always going to be people who will dish it right back. There will always be people who are willing to take some heat themselves and not lie down and roll over just because the other person says so," Hermione said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you do have the makings of a Knights cheerleader, unlike Emily and Samantha, who only got on the team because of their big chests and small waists. They're just eye candy," Felicia said.

"All right, that's enough," said Coach Simpson, wanting to break up the fight before it escalated into anything physical. Felicia turned to face her aunt.

"This is your last chance Auntie Tonya, your last chance to take Annabel's cousin out of that uniform and put me back into one," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Her name is Hermione!" Annabel snapped, having gotten over her shock at hearing her cousin talk back to Felicia, something no one had dared to do.

"Felicia, you better get comfortable being out of a uniform, because you'll be back in one and back on my squad when hell freezes over. Now get out of my gym!" the coach barked. Felicia sneered before turning on one chunky heel and exiting the gym, her heels clacking loudly on the floor. Once the door swung shut behind her, Coach Simpson rubbed her temples before turning to face her squad.

"Hermione, my office, now. The rest of you change out of your uniforms and into your shorts and tank tops and then into the weight room, go!" she ordered. Annabel started to protest, but Hermione shushed her.

"It will be fine, Anna. Go," she murmured before giving her cousin a gentle push. Annabel shut her mouth and along with Emily led the rest of the team to the weight room while Hermione followed the coach to her office.

"Have a seat, Hermione," Coach Simpson instructed as she closed the door after the two of them. Hermione obeyed and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the coach's desk, folding her hands in her lap.

"I think you know what you did," Tonya said as she sat down behind her desk and folded her hands in front of her.

"Yes, Coach Simpson, I do and I apologize for it. I didn't know Felicia was your niece. It just made me so angry how she treats people and expects to get away with it. Before I came out in my uniform, I met her in the change room and she told me not to get too comfortable in it because she would be put back in and I would be kicked out," Hermione confessed.

"My niece has an entitlement complex, but that's no excuse for her behaviour. However, there's no reason for your behaviour either. I will not tolerate any derogatory comments, behaviour or physical altercations of any kind on my squad, is that clear? This is a warning, and the only one you'll get. If I see or hear anything of the like I saw in my gym just now, you will not be coming to the finals with us. You might not be a student here, but I expect to see the same respect you show at your school to me, my squad, and to the other students and faculty. Understood?"

"Yes Coach, I understand," Hermione said, bowing her head. She knew she'd messed up the moment she'd called Felicia a bitch, and she would have to face the consequences of her actions. Six years of being friends with Harry and Ron solving mysteries and breaking the rules had taught her that.

"Good, get changed and meet us in the weight room. And Hermione, while I didn't approve of your insult to Felicia, and rest assured I'll deal with her later; I do admire your fire and your backbone, those will both take you far in this world," Coach Simpson said. Hermione smiled as she stood up.

"Thanks Coach, you can't get through six years of boarding school and being called a mud blood and being teased for being smart and not develop one. If I hadn't I probably wouldn't be here right now," she said softly before opening the door and walking out of the office, leaving the coach gobsmacked in her wake.

 **Author's Note: I'm not dead! Just been very busy the last few months prepping for a big exam (gulp!), I hope to update more frequently in the near future. I have so many ideas for this story. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, 100 reviews, you guys are amazing! As always, thanks for your patience while I balance school, work, and fanfiction. Till next time, Xoxoxo.**


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione had to hurry to get changed into her shorts and tank top due to her conversation with the coach. The screen went black for a few moments before she reappeared. As she looked around for a place to put her uniform, Annabel appeared in the change room.

"Hermione! Are you okay? What did the coach say?" she asked, opening her locker and gesturing for Hermione to put her uniform inside.

"She just told me the kind of behaviour I showed in the gym wouldn't be tolerated, and she's right. I shouldn't have given way to my temper. By doing so, I'm no better than Felicia or even the girls at school who have bullied me in the past," Hermione said as she placed her folded uniform into the locker and closing the door. The two girls left the change room and made their way into the weight room. Upon entering, the Hogwarts population gasped with awe. The room was filled with machines and objects that looked like short, very thick sticks with rocks attached to the ends.

"Harry, what are those things?" Cho asked with curiosity as they watched Hermione and her cousin join in the stretches with the other members of the squad.

"It's exercise equipment. That machine with the flat track is called a treadmill, you can run or walk on it, and the one with the seat and pedals is called a bike, and the one with the handles and big pedals is called an elliptical," Harry explained.

"And what about the sticks with rocks?" asked Luna. Harry looked confused for a second and then he understood.

"Those are called dumbbells, I don't know why they call them that but that's their name. And then the ones with the silver in the middle and the weights on the ends are called barbells. Each set of dumbbells and the barbells are different weights, the stronger your muscles become the heavier the weights you can lift," Harry answered.

"All right, Knights, half of you on the bikes, the other half on the mat. Emily, Annabel, I want you two to work with Hermione on her tumbling. Actually, Hermione, come over here for a moment please," Coach Simpson requested. Hermione looked puzzled, but walked over to the coach.

"How comfortable are you being in the air?" the coach asked. Harry groaned, he knew Hermione lacked confidence on a broom, and he was sure whatever the coach had in mind Hermione wouldn't like it.

"You mean like a flyer, that's what the girls are called who do all the stunts, right?" Hermione asked. Coach Simpson nodded.

"That's right. Felicia was a flyer along with Annabel and Emily, so if you're comfortable with being in the air, we can try a few throws and catches, and if you decide you don't want to, we can have you as a tumbler. You definitely have the skills to be a tumbler but I want to see what else you're capable of." Hermione thought for a minute. _Do one thing a day that scares you_ she thought.

"Let's try out the flying," she said to Harry's great surprise.

 **Author's Note: Hello and Happy New Year! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I'm very sorry for the long wait time, it means the world to me you all love this story and leave such kind reviews. I failed my exam last summer and I wasn't in a good headspace for awhile. I've spent the last few months focusing on my mental and physical health and getting back to taking care of myself, something I neglected while I was studying and in school, neither of which I am doing anymore. I know this chapter is short but I promise the next one will be longer. Till next time, xoxoxo**


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